[CP] A Decision has been made

Day 1,747, 07:53 • Published in Belgium Belgium • by eBelgian Presidency


Dear eBelgians,

This is your president speaking. Please read and vote the article. Thanks in advance.




I do not know how and where to start. Let me try doing it that way.

As we have been placed on the so-called “blacklist” or “Don’t MPP list” by EDEN for another month in a row (I do recognise the fact that individual EDEN countries have shown lots of respect to us though), it was about high time we really reconsider our course of foreign policy. The following questions were raise😛 “Isn’t it time for us to choose a side?” / “What side do we align ourselves with in general?” / “What will the pricetag be if we do join an alliance?” That had been discussed for months, but in the last weeks these debates have intensified. It was a really difficult and time-taking decision, since the government and Congress had to sit down together and list the pros and cons of each option we have at this very moment. Fortunatelly, a new promising option has popped up - the Circle of Trust alliance and I am really satisfied that we have come together to a common opinion.

In the end, the following was voted: “The eBelgian Congress requests the initiation of the procedure to become a member of CoT. Therefore, it ratifies the Charter of CoT and mandates the eBelgian CP and government to take all necessary steps in order to join CoT. Due the importance of this vote and in accordance with the Charter of CoT, this is voted under a supermajority.”

Since such a vote can not happen within the in-game Congress module, therefore the rules of eBelgian Congress, as defined in the Constitution and The Voting Math Law, are followed and a forum vote was held. Every Congress Member (including the CP) that signed in on the forum, has voting right. There are currently 24 of such ‘eligible voters’ and 23 of them voted on this law.
For a super-majority, only the CM that take the effort to vote, are counted in. With 20 Yes votes of the 23 votes, the requirement for supermajority (1 more yes vote than ⅔ of all yes and no votes) is certainly fulfilled.

As an result, eBelgium has applied for trial-membership in the Circle of Trust alliance. The decision upon our application will be made at the next meeting of the alliance. (More info about the alliance itself here and here)

To those of you, who are concerned that being in an alliance will hurt us - yes, it might get us into trouble in future. However, I would like to point out that we have been invaded multiple times, despite being neutral. Our neutrality and “The Good Neighbor policy” did not stop the aggressors invading Belgium in the past. And I tend to see their point - eRepublik is a military oriented game after all. Yes, we will lose some things and gain others. Besides that, we have met the limits of our neutrality. It no longer benefits us. An era had to come to its end. I strongly believe, and with me the current government and Congress, that being allied will benefit us in the long term - it will give us friends to count on for help and MPPs, will make it easier for us to retain playes and keep them active. I firmly consider that what has been decided by us, was and is the best our momentous answer to all of those questions.

Yours very truly,