WE HAVE LIFTOFF!!! TRANS-ETHIA CUSTOMS UNION RATIFIED
The town of Veii is no great metropolis, with a population of barely 10,000 and a local economy devoted primarily to wine production and sheep farms it is safe to say that Veii will not appear on any top cities in Ethia polls any time soon. Despite this however, the parochial town has tonight played host to what some economists are calling "the most significant act of Volshan economic diplomacy since the mining contracts" and if the celebrations are anything to go by the locals seem to be in firm agreement.
The brainchild of the late Zilathe, Arnthe Sentina, the customs union was designed to alleviate post-war hardship by spurring the continent into a shared recovery, The reduction of tariffs and elimination of trade barriers will come as a welcome relief to businesses, the favorable visa conditions for member states will likely push tourism to new heights. This landmark deal has already been enthusiastically ratified by the Scalvian parliament, the tribal council of the Harbi autonomous region, and the interim civilian administration of the Volshan occupation zone of Aurorea. Tonight Zilathe Cel Sethlans put ceremonial ink to paper and confirmed Volshan's entry into the customs union. Local winemakers are already expressing excitement at the potential for a wider market, their wares certainly pleased dignitaries tonight.
The agreement could see immense wealth generation if its member states are able to leverage their niche economies to benefit one another, already Volshan's extensive mining and mineral wealth is likely to be a big selling point for other member states, conversely Scalvia's greener climate and extensive agricultural output would provide a desperately needed relief to the limited food providers in Volshan. If the customs union is properly managed it is likely that everyone in it would stand to benefit.
"This agreement represents Ethians finding solutions to economic issues without the need for compromised sovereignty and over-arching alliances, instead it's just neighbors becoming good friends and supporting one another, I think we can all raise a glass to that!" Zilathe Sethlans proclaimed as glasses were drained and cheers given
Many analysts perceive the success of this agreement as a sign of shifting political winds in the wider auroria's, Professor Vequin Sullus of the corporate university of Port Messana has suggested that the customs union might on some level be a repudiating response to the UAS, a transnational union whose binding policies and emphasis on globalized governance were widely seen to have failed due to the alliance's inaction during the Aurorean war.
"I think the timing cannot be discounted, last year there was talk of share currencies and integrated economies, now with the war done and the UAS firmly in the political trashbin we have a purely financial agreement being ushered into life. The message couldn't be clearer, big alliances have failed, national sovereignty is the done thing and its goal is to make lots of money!"
Some are already toasting the so-called "NGEC of Auroria" but it remains to be seen how many more states will jump onto the bandwagon, tonight However that is the last thing on people's minds, the people of Veii are all smiles and full cups as fireworks and music serenade the arrival of a new chapter in the continent's history.