Sandus, Überstadt Ratify Second Common Economy Treaty

The State of Sandus and the Kingdom of Überstadt have ratified the Second Common Economy Treaty on the economy’s system of organisation and governance. The Council of the State of Sandus, the Sandum direct democratic legislature, approved the treaty on 23 July, and the Parliament of the Kingdom of Überstadt followed a day later in approving the document. The treaty addresses the organisation of the economy under the Commission for the Common Economy (CCE), a commission comprised of members’ heads of government and their economy ministers or their equivalent. (In Sandus, lacking a ministry of economy, the Party Secretary serves on the commission.)

The new treaty addresses the organisation of the socialist economy that is shared between both Social System states. Three new categories of economic organisations are created: worker coöperatives, state enterprises, and common enterprises. Worker coöperatives are “communities of workers formed, owned, and governed by their members,” and any citizen of both countries can create one through a simple act of declaration to the CCE. State enterprises are “formed, owned, and governed by the government of a member state,” and provide particular public goods and services. Common enterprises are joint enterprises shared between members of the Common Economy and governed directly by the CCE.

• The Citizens’ Party of Sandus, a coöperative since its “enfranchisement” in December 2010, is no longer a coöperative and is now legally a state organ of the State of Sandus.
• The Collegium Sacerdotum is a state enterprise of the State of Sandus now.
• Tellus Horticultural Coöperative is a workers coöperative and now takes over all horticultural functions in Überstadt.
• Erganê Artisanal Coöperative is a workers coöperative across the whole Common Economy.
• The State Media Coöperative is now a state enterprise in Sandus, called the State Media Enterprise.
• The Sports Club Federation – Fédération des clubs sportifs is a workers coöperative across the whole Common Economy.
• The Occidental Chronicle, the newspaper of the Kingdom of Überstadt, is now a workers coöperative in both Sandus and Überstadt.
• All formerly established coöperatives in Überstadt are now dissolved, and Überstadti workers must now join coöperatives across the whole Common Economy.

The treaty replaces the two economic systems that existed in Sandus and Überstadt before the ratification of the treaty. Since before the creation of the Common Economy in January 2020, both countries had organisations called coöperatives, but in Sandus the role of coöperatives had grown to include organisations with various purposes. Various “authorities” and “institutions” previously existed that did not quite qualify as coöperatives but were still economic organisations. While Überstadti coöperatives were governed precisely as coöperatives, in Sandus many coöperatives were not governed through worker’s democracy but instead directly from the Central People’s Government, creating an extra layer of confusion. The new treaty creates a new range of economic organisations that can better reflect the diverse purposes and needs of both states and their now shared economic organs.

The treaty also clarifies that the Commission for the Common Economy has certain oversight and regulatory roles to play. The CCE now has the power to:

1. Guarantee the autonomy of workers coöperatives and state enterprises
2. Create binding regulations for workers rights and welfare
3. Facilitate joint planning among workers coöperatives and enterprises
4. Provide strategic guidance to the Common Economy
5. Govern common enterprises
6. Order compliance and levy sanctions for noncompliance with regulations concerning workers rights and welfare

These powers are in addition to those found in the First Common Economy Treaty. Those powers are the power to interpret pertinent treaties, to make joint economic plans, and to resolve differences between national economic systems.