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Hàromszék Government Operations

Executive  Office       Executive  Ministries       Parliament         Judiciary

Branches of Government

  

( under construction -- plenty more material yet to be added )  

  

Head of State - Premier Katalin Dvorszet (since March 1508) The Hàromszéki Head of State is the Premier. Elected for five year terms, she heads the nation without being a routine part of its daily operations. The Premier reccomends a candidate for the Federal Assembly to elect -- usually the leader of whichever party or coalition holds a majority of seats in the Assembly. If no coalition can be formed, she must find a minority government head acceptable to sufficient Assembly members to be elected - there is no actual requirement that the candidate be a seated Assembly member. The Premier is responsible for bringing treaty matters before the Federal Assembly -- he or she (through subordinates) does the bulk of the negotiating, and presents the Assembly with a workable document for consideration and action. The Premier's office consults with applicable bodies within whatever branch of government affected by a prospective international agreement - in general the staff of, say the Environmental Section of the Ministry of Agriculture give the Premier more considerate treatment than they might legislators or civil service staff. That a Premier have the respect of the people and their representatives is of utmost importance, far more than parlimentary experience or political connections. The Premier, standing for the whole of the Confederacy, deals with other nations in matters requiring personal representation; funerals of heads of state, coronations, weddings, and the like.

Federal Executive - Prime Minister Sandor Székeley (since November 1509) The Hàromszéki head of government is the Prime Minister; selected by the Federal Assembly, usually from among their number, usually leader of majority party (which hasn't happened since 1468) or of majority coalition. He both directs the affairs of the nation through the Executive Branch, and acts as moderator of Entire Sessions of the Federal Assembly. With his hands in this many pies, he relies on deputies, assistants, and proxies to get all the work done. His Executive Branch assistants are the Council of Ministers, sometimes referred to as his Cabinet. These individuals are in control of the bulk of the day-to-day work of the Confederation. The Ministers are selected by the Prime Minister and approved by the Federal Assembly. By law, the Ministers serve at the whim of the Prime Minister. In practice, serving Ministers are often retained when a new Prime Minister comes into office, even when of a different party than his. In addition to the Ministries, the Prime Minister's office has under its direct supervision several departments, the Departements sans Ministères. These are: Department of Communications - provides communications services for the government. Also sets communications policies, proposes laws relating to communications, and oversees (otherwise) independant regulatory bodies affecting ratio, television, and scandianet broadcasting. Judicial Department - not the Judicial Branch (judges and courts). They are separate from the Executive Branch altogether. This office fulfils the role of prosecutor or defendant when the government is placed before the bar. In many nations this segment of the national executive branch actually sees to carrying out the decrees of law. In Hz, that "police" function resides with the republics, and with the military. The Justice Department runs no prisons. Health Affairs Department - Hz has no national health insurance, and regulates very little in the realm of health care. Those functions are carried out well by private enterprise and by a multitude of nongovernmental accrediting and licensing bodies. The Health Affairs Department rather sees to it that the actions of the government do not adversely affect citizens' health. They have no enforcement authority of their own, but they can and do originate legislation. Being a Departement sans Ministère does not mean they have less of the PM's attention, rather that they are more directly a part of his week's work. Just as the medical profession tries to live by the prime maxim "first, do no harm", the Hz government takes seriously the caution from Custom, Constitution, and even Scripture to "harm none of the least of these". Already accustomed to government inaction being the default state, the Confederation of Hàromszék well respects reins placed on it like Health Affairs' oversight. Federal Archives - repository of the accumulated wisdom and idiocy of the Hàromszéki government. All but three of the constituent Republics delegate their archival function to this office, so it is a quite busy library. It is indeed a library, also serving as repository of copies of all hardcopy literature published in Hàromszék. Bound in the world of print, this office still doesn't know quite what to do with electronic publishing. Unless requested to obtain electronic media by some government official, they ignore the entire world of digital publishing. Unofficial organizations have stepped in to commercially provide electronic access to historical government documents. They do so for profit, but as they are in competition for customers of a much-used service, their rates are reasonable and service excellent. Every time do-gooders in government suggest modernizing the Fed Archives, it is pointed out how effeciently and cheaply the private sector is handling the job, and the matter is quietly dropped. The Archives coordinates a courier service and performs transport, protection and delivery of documents for the units of the various Ministries, the Federal Assembly, and overseas offices such as Embassies. While directly under the PM's control, this office recieves very little of his attention. The Head Archivist reports to the PM, but pretty much runs the show himself.

Federal Executive Ministries

  

Minister of Foreign Affairs (under Premier's authority; other Ministries are under Prime Minister) Jaromir Sobotka The Premier's office is responsible for relationships with other nations, through the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the main Executive Branch component under a Premier's control. The principle in operation is that foreign relations should be conducted without direct reference to internal Hàromszéki politics, and indeed the placement of Foreign Affairs under the Premier insulates Ambassadors and their diplomacy somewhat. Foreign relations is the subject of its own page of this site. There are listed all of Hàromszék's Embassies (and Ambassadors) and Consulates (and Consuls-General). In addition to controlling our Embassies elsewhere, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs carries the primary responsibility for interacting with other nations' Embassies here in Cerbesti. Foreign Affairs also coordinates with the CSS (see under Ministry of Defense, below), to ensure the safety of our diplomats abroad and other nations' diplomats while visiting Hàromszék.

Embassies and Consulates    individual ambassadors and consuls general

Office of Military Coordination, Secretary    Jules deFontaine

Office of Foreign Service, Secretary    Marie Lanier

Office of Economic Coordination, Secretary    Dr. Josef Planchette

Office of Cultural Coordination, Secretary    Yvona Maršic

Office of Research, Secretary    Eva Cisar

Office of Protocol, under-Secretary    Dr. Antonin Kálmán Protocol provides protocol officers to smooth relationships between differing cultures' officials; theoretically Hàromszéki to Hàromszéki. Usually, Hàromszéki citizens are well aware of the quirks and prejudices of their neighbors, but on occasion folks need advice on How Not To Be A Boor. These civil servants actually do more work with visiting dignitaries needing counsel in the ways of Hàromszéki, and with Hàromszéki officials interacting with outlanders.

Office of Immigration and Naturalization, Secretary    Zunatios Svrcek

Cabinet Ministries

Each Ministry is headed by an appointed official, the "Minister of ________". Each of these is served by a subordinate appointed official, the "State Secretary for the Mininstry of _____." The State Secretary is a representative of the Minister in his absence or by his authorization in the full scope of powers and duties belonging to a cabinet member of the Hàromszék Government, excluding matters reserved by the Minister. The Secretary has accountability for tasks in the specified sectors; in affairs beyond his powers his proposals are forwarded to the Minister. He also holds both personnel and disciplinary authority over the Ministry staff.

Minister of Transportation Dumitro Chalcan MoT has differing roles with the different transportation means in use in Hz. It has everything from no authority (over equine traffic) to majority control (with waterways and locks), and other degrees in between. The default situation is of no control, with regulation put in place only when safety or sensibility calls for it. MoT has zero regulatory authority on its own -- all the regs it wishes to put in place must be ratified as laws by the Confederation Assembly. This requirement minimizes both trivial and draconian regulations -- proposals have to make sense to lawmakers, who in the legislative off-season may be businessmen operating under those same laws.

Secretary for Overseas Navigation    Jean-Jacques Merlitot Overseas Nav provides a central Hàromszéki office for promotion of and (slightly) regulation of shipping. Hz cooperates with other maritime nations in provision of shore-based nav systems like loran, radar, and lighthouses, with space-based GPS systems, and with international efforts to track ice in shipping lanes. Hz goes farther than monitoring; actually doing some clearing of transit lanes. Truly monsterous bergs can't be budged, but smaller ones can be herded with enough tugboat horsepower. There are shoals off the northern Hz coast where there is plenty of depth for ships but where medium sized bergs tend to run aground and pile up. Keeping this size bergs from entering the shoal areas lets our northern ports maintain shipping all winter. Efforts to herd these medium-sized ice mountains turn into sporting events -- see the (sub)Ministry of Culture's sports pages for more info. Overseas Nav maintains commerce agreements with other nations and with international organizations in support of shipping / port procedures / sea-lane laws.

Secretary for Inland Navigation    Zoltan McAllister

Secretary for Rail Transport    Gabi Kovar

Secretary for Air Affairs    Dr. Johanna Novak

Secretary for Highways    Ferenc Zigeuner

Secretary for Yom Affairs    Boltos Neverran

Secretary for Transport Union Relations    Janos Neuchik

Minister of Finance Josef Tomicek It takes gold to run a government, even a minimalist one like Hàromszék's. MoF takes care of both collecting and spending the Confederation government's money. Even more important than that function is that MoF plans for Hàromszéki money matters. Hz operates on a metal-backed monetary standard, but even though our government doesn't "make" the money, like in fiat currency nations, it still is convenient for people to use a national currency. MoF does not decide how much of Hàromszék's skana is in circulation -- that is determined by the economy. Finance prepares budgets for operation of the whole government, for the PM to submit to the National Assembly for approval. The Assembly is pretty tight with a boderu, but the PM's budget is also usually responsibly tight, so conflict is kept minimized. There's just too many governments in Hz competing for Hàromszéki citizens' money for any one of them to get away with excesses. Finance works closely with other ministries - for example they have taken a lead role in negotiating Hàromszék's entry into CRECO, in concert with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chief of Tax Department    Zdenka Ferlež Hàromszéki citizens pay an extremely simle income tax - flat, low rate with few complications. Corporations pay a larger share of what runs the Hàromszéki government, though the mechanics are still kept as simple as possible. Some republics delegate collection of their taxes to the Confederation MoF Tax Department, others run their own services. Tax Department procedures and personnel are kept on a short leash -- virtually any move they make is subject to audit by other Confederation authorities, by Republic or local authorities, or by Hàromszéki citizens.

Chief of Profitary Department    Kaarla Novatny This group is responsible for making money from government-owned enterprises, partially financing the government's operations. In particular, the Confederation government own substantial tracts in the River District -- rents, leases, shares in tenant businesses. Profitary collects a portion of the fees charged for the use of public lands -- mining and timber rights, grazing use, lease of commercial property. Profitary collects the profit from the government's share of quasi-private businesses (like HzPost, the collectors' division of the Mint, and flag licensing), and the sale or license of government-produced software. Tolls for highway, bridge, and lock use are considered business income rather than tax, hence are also collected by the Profitary Department.   The Hz government deals in surplus and scrap in job lots some customers may not wish consigned to a private business - decomissioning warships and other military hardware, for example. All such work is done by private enterprise under contract, but management direction is via government employees and some profit accrues to the government. Profitary does not negotiate or run such contracts, but Profitary auditors or accountants are on the management teams.

Chief of Department of the Exchequer    Vaclav Dolezal   These are the folks who write the checks to do the business of the Hz government. They are tight with a boderu, to the extent they are overburdened with accountants and auditors making not only checks, but double checks and triple checks. They also make the actual disbursements of metal when real-wealth transactions need to be made, so they work closely with the BNdH and the Treasury.

Chief of Treasury Department    Tatana Kocianova In Hz, the Treasury is not in charge of theoretical money and wealth-on-paper. The Hàromszéki Skana is backed by metal - gold and silver in reserve in deep vaults of the Treasury. The Treasury Department converts paper bills, coinage, or electronic promissary notes into bullion when requested. Paper notes and e-transfers are still a lot more convenient than metal, but upon occasion Hz conducts government to government transactions using Real Wealth instead of unbacked currency. Pistrix is one nation we trade with who understand the value of assets that aren't imaginary - their currency is also backed by real metal. Theirs happens to be mercury, but it still constitutes, shall we say, liquid assets. Andrea and Albanaudh also back their currency with gold, and Zîrkæ with silver, so Hz is by no means alone in insisting on legal tender with intrinsic value.

Chief of Customs Service    Guillaume Benicoeur The Customs Service collects taxes and fees on incoming commerce, and provides the police function of apprehending "importers without license" (smugglers). Smuggled materials might be legal, if taxes were paid -- in these cases fines are levied and if necessary the smugglers are jailed. If the amounts cannot be paid, Customs is authorized to sieze merchandise to sell to cover fees plus costs. Other categories of merchandise are out-and-out illegal in Hz -- these the Customs Service interdicts, either turning away perpetrators on the high seas, boarding and impounding vessels in Hàromszéki waters, and finding and destroying the illicit material. Customs operates throughout Hz, since import these days is often by container (truck, rail, inland shipping) and by air cargo. Customs also ensures export regulations are followed, handling a massive paperwork load on Hàromszék's onsiderable export trade. Customs works hand in hand with both Coast Guard and Border Patrol, operating units directly analogous to theirs and when necessary calling on them for assistance.

Chief of National Bank (Banc Nationale d'Hàromszék)    Jacques Montbéliard BNdH doesn't have quite the comprehensive control over Hàromszék's economy that some national banks exert. Its influence is more indirect. BNdH is the agent the Confederation government uses to make loans to itself (issuance of bonds and other forms of national public debt). It is also the agency through which Hz makes loans to other countries. In that it sets interest rates for these loans, it does have an effect on the economy at large, but it does not attempt to "drive" the economy -- in Hz the market does that. Hàromszék has a legally mandated balanced national budget, so the amount of public debt and consequently the portion of GNP devoted to servicing that debt is quite low. BNdH also acts much as any commercial bank, in that other arms of the government place on deposit there funds collected but not yet spent. Republic and local governments follow suit; the majority of public-sector paychecks in Hàromszék bear BNdH imprints.

Chief of Hz Mint    Dana Konopásek Gold dust and silver bullion are inconvenient to spend when buying a newspaper or a frozen pizza. Hàromszéki businesses and individuals are not required to accept as legal tender anything but skana and boderu currency, though some do accept as payment assayed metal or known foreign coinage. Smooth commerce demands a standard coinage, and MintHz supplies this - both with full-value coins in large denominations, exchange coinage in smaller amounts (a 5-boderu coin would be inconveniently tiny), and exchange certificates -- paper money. In addition to plain money, MintHz isues commerative coins and certificates -- all required to be legal tender, yet seldom circulated due to their enhanced value.

Minister of Interior Dr. Nataša Höltzl MoI's mission is the relationship between the Hz Confederation government and the Hàromszéki people. Many of its departments and offices are charged with handling information, or with spreading it. The Hz government's most public and visible face is presented by the Minister of the Interior and her people, so they watch their step. Interior has more people on its payroll than any other Ministry of the Confederation except the Ministry of Defense. Indeed, until recently one branch, the subMinistry of Culture, was an independent cabinet-level ministry in its own right, and twenty years back, SurveyHz (as the Cartography & Geodesy Ministry) had the same status.

Environmental Secretary    Othi Horváth Industry in Hz is not tightly regulated to prevent mishaps and malfeasance, rather detriments to the public welfare are handled sternly when infractions occur. So strong can be this response, and from so many directions ( ... think "fifteen Republics, national Confederation, local authorities ...") that business does a good job of policing itself. Environmental Section has investigative and prosecuting authority, but its most powerful tool in encouraging a healthy environment is public opinion. Environment has the authority to publically shame individuals and corporations who have damaged Hàromszék's natural surroundings. InfoBureauHz picks up Environmental Section's shame listings and provides them to the most damning and damaging commercial media outlets. A few polluters don't care -- their cases are referred to the courts. Most, though, will do anything to get out from under the negative publicity of a Shame Listing. Environmental Section does more education and encouragement than prosecution anyway. Hàromszéki citizens love their nation and willingly work to maintain its natural beauty and proper function. This attitude is yet another aspect of the "shared ownership" mindset arising from the overlapping-republics form of society we enjoy.

Republic Coordination Secretary    Dr. Jenõ Bíró So many of Interior's tasks involve working with Republic authorities, both for finance and for carrying out projects, that they have a need for their own coordination office, separate from the Ministry of Intergovernmental Relations.

Public Works Secretary    Jindrich Matusek PW is the engineering and construction arm of the Hz government. Transportation may require roads and runways -- PW contracts their construction. Inland Nav may see a need for lock renovations, and Profitary and Customs may pay for them, but PW contracts the work. Parks & Wilderness personnel and contractors maintain trails and put in picnic tables, but PW builds the new parks, lays out new trails, and puts in new bridges and lodges for them. Public Property manages government buildings, but PW puts them up and tears them down. PW is usually assigned tasks on a results-needed basis. They work almost as a business -- actual and theoretical profit criteria are set, and PW has substantial incentive to be creative in coming up with solutions. When allocated budgets are underrun, PW gets a fraction of the savings, which they can apply to other projects as needed. PW's own facilities are often amazingly motley assortments of leftovers and salvage. Accused of being cheap, PW personnel typically respond with "and your point is ... ?"

Public Property Secretary    Arnaud Bénes Department of Public Property operates and administers Confederation buildings, facilities, and moveable property. Take as an example the Federal Parliament. DoPP has custody of the building, the guard kiosks at the entry, and its grounds maintenance machinery. Parks & Wilderness has custody of Parliamentary Park; the grounds and gardens part of the site. Tourism operates the information booths there, and CSS provides the guards - both ceremonial and plainclothes. Profitary collects the 50-boderu fee for tours, while InfoBureauHz provides the tour brochures, postcards, and audio tapes and CDs for self-guided tours. Face it -- for a nation made up of fifteen overlapping republics, each of which owns the whole territory, such a set of overlapping responsibilities is just another day at work.

Justice Secretary    Philippa duChene Interior's Justice Office needs to be kept distinct from the PM's departement sans ministère the Judicial Department. JD carries out prosecuting or defense functions. JO handles incarceration. (To complete the range of criminal justice functions in the Confederation government, Border Patrol, Customs, Republic police, or local police catch offenders, and the Judicial branch tries and sentences them.) JO is not just about prisons. They operate a full range of responses to criminal activity, from termination (capital punishment is used for a few offenses in Hz), through maximum- and minimum-security prisons, electronic monitoring and house arrest, and work release and restitution. "Everybody pulling their own weight" is a cornerstone of Hzi society, and when people injure others they are expected to make some kind of restitution. Even cases theoretically deserving capital punishment are often placed in a forced labor position, with any proceeds the convict can make sent straight to his or her victims. Hz juries decide both the facts of a case and its disposition -- judges are more administrators of (jury) trials than deciders of them. And citizens on juries are free within the bounds of some fairly loose guidelines to designate how convicts must attempt to set things right. JO is thus the custodian of some strange situations. They run a college where felons with undeveloped skills are trained, so as to be able to more productively pay back their victims. They run farms and provide labor for Public Works projects. And they supervise volunteer convicts doing some of the most dangerous work in the Confederation - forestry, smoke-jumping, mine reclamation, hazardous material cleanup, and ocean rescue ops.

Culture Subministry Secretary    Gilles d'Auberive The subMinistry of Culture is charged with the preservation and promotion of Hàromszéki culture, within Hz and abroad. While this is a worthy task, the people and government of Hz do not allot the subMinistry of Culture much in the way of resources, so they have had to be creative. Embassies abroad often sponsor an Hàromszéki Cultural Office, bringing to the notice of locals the best that Hz has to offer, or at least the best that can be had locally ... Hàromszéki expat communities typically supply the support for this promotion that the Ministry cannot. As such, the cultural offerings tend to be ones commercially viable - concerts booked for a fee, exhibitions at private galleries and public museums at which the artists may have works for sale, book signings or readings at libraries or booksellers. Sport comes loosely under the umbrella of culture abroad, so the Ministry often assists in coordinating competition by visiting Hàromszéki teams, on an exhibition basis or as part of regular tournament activities. At home, the Ministry prompts preservation of our cultural heritage mostly by sponsoring legislation and coordinating the works of the various republics' equivalent Cultural Offices. Hàromszék does not constitute a culture, but rather a whole family of cultures. Each republic as a matter of high priority seeks to promote its identity, so Republic Cultural outreach and preservation is quite strong. Hz has no single national museum, instead Cerbesti has eleven, sponsored by republics. Hàromszék has no National Theater or Opera or Symphony, instead there are a dozen or more of each. Architecture is an arena of common heritage, so the subMinistry does have activities recognizing significant examples of buildings and public works. Administration of those in the public domain, though, falls under the Parks and Wilderness Office of Interior, rather then directly under Culture. Arts Office - there is virtually no public support for the arts at the national level, instead the public supports the arts. Hàromszék has no national debate over government sponsorship of works that some might call inappropriate or unworthy, instead the private sector determines what is worthy of support. Hàromszéki artists are free to produce whatever they please, on their own skana, at their own liability. Thus arts really do flourish in Hz, free of most bungling bureaucratic designation of what should or should not be produced. Emblematic of this philosophy, arts within public facilities (Confederation facilities) are typically privately funded. Since a public building is a venue with unusually broad exposure, artists and patrons of the arts compete vigorously for the chance to decorate the halls of power, play music at public functions, even perform drama before VIPs domestic and foreign. Sport Office - Hz supports national teams in some sports, for international competition. The government treats such teams as ambassadors, and the Foreign Affairs Ministry controls the budget for their support. For activities loosely classifiable as military arts, the MoD sponsors some teams, so long as the majority of team members are in active or reserve service. In some cases, participation abroad counts toward yearly reserve duty requirements. Within Culture, sport is supported by encouragement, coordination, publicity, legislative advocacy, and scarcely a boderu of cash involvement.

Information Bureau Secretary    Béla t'Blazej InfoBureauHz is the publisher for the Confederation government, as well as producer of much of the data -- statistics, analyses, census, news bulletins, web sites, public relations, even drafts of legislation. InfoBureau has had to go back to killing large numbers of trees (print publishing), since their softcopy publishing capability is all but cut off.

HzPost Government Shareholder-in-Chief    Vanya Polgár HzPost is a quasi-private corporation, not really an integral part of Interior. Rather, Interior holds the stock for the Confederation's share in HzPost (currently about 31%), and votes those share in accordance with the government's interests. HzPost itself is a chartered corporation with private management. As a really big customer, Hàromszék has even more influence in HzPost ops than that 31% share would indicate. Considerable income accrues to the government from its partial ownership, since HzPost is run for profit. Competition is permitted, so efficency is good for business. The Shareholder-in-Chief's office is quite small, usually employing less than twenty persons. On a per-capita basis, it might be said to be the most cost-effective group in the Hàromszéki government.

Parks and Wilderness Secretary    Caspar Gnougy P&W administers lands both for preservation and for public use and enjoyment. Designation as wilderness prevents such use as logging or mining - lands open to that are held by DoPP. P&W works closely wth MinTrade's Tourism in promoting Park use. Some uses are free, others have fees. Financial's Profitary Department collects such revenues, which are not general funds but are allocated to Parks & Wilderness' ongoing and capital needs. Some historic canals, disused for industrial traffic, have National Park status, and as such are administered by P&W instead of Inland Navigation. Park Rangers and Wilderness Rangers have equivalent status to Provincial Police and watch for infractions of the rules of use, but the primary security for P&W lands and facilities is provided by Border Patrol personnel.

Survey Hz - Cartographic and Geodetic Director    Valentin Bálzac SurveyHz ("C&G" used to be a separate Ministry) measures the land and maps it. SurveyHz cooperates with private firms, in that the data it produces is public domain (with sensible fees permitted to cover the cost of disseminating the info). At the same time, nothing prohibits SurveyHz from out-and-out competing with private cartography outfits. Its products tend to be less creative than commercial efforts, but with impeccable data quality.

Minister of Trade Nicolao Tzigane Hàromszék is a capitalist market economy with a marked lack of interference from the Confederation government. The Hz MoT does not drive the economy, it rather reports on it, facilitates it, and occasionally pressures it. Without a centrally-planned economy, Hz sometimes doesn't know quite where it stands. MoT collects data for collation and publication. Such statistics provide Finance the capability to estimate the next year's budget, starting from projections of revenues from taxes, fees, and investments in business.

Industrial Development Department Director    Stefan Matusek While the Confederation government does not direct development of industrial enterprises, there is much that MoT can do to facilitate it. MoT takes the position that healthy businesses are good for Hz as a whole. When Hz lacks sufficient domestic enterprise in a given market sector, we have to import to make up the demand. With its "view from the top" of the whole of Hàromszék, DID can see niches lacking domestic supply, and prompt existing Hz firms that a profitable need is going unmet. Such encouragement can extend to the promise of Confederation contracts for something we currently import, to invitation to participate in government research and development, even to offers of advantageous rates on the use of government resources, be they facilities or untapped raw materials. An important possibility that MoT checks out is "what is the government doing to hinder development, and can changes be made to ameliorate the situation?" Foreign businesses occasionally complain that Hz government assistance constitutes unfair advantage. This would be true if the help was a gift, but it usually comes with strings attached, as a government investment. Hz Confederation part-ownership stakes are treated as short-term, intending that successful enterprises buy out the government shares. Such buyouts are fairly priced, but still constitute return on investment, and do contribute funds toward operation of the Confederation.

Foreign Investment Department Director    Marie Malenciennes Investment need not be exploitation -- Hàromszék encourages foreign entities to invest in existing and new Hz enterprises. New enterprises are encouraged to have partial Hz ownership, but the Hz component need not be majority. Likewise, foreign investment is expected to provide Hàromszéki citizens with jobs, but since even a wholy foreign operation will still pay Hàromszéki taxes, even that would benefit the Confederation some. To recieve Hz government promotion and terms, foreign investors need to show how their work results in a win-win situation.

Industry, Energy, and Commerce Department Director    Dr. Zoltan Novacek IEC is the business-side statistical arm of MoT. The figures it publishes portray the Hz economy but do not drive it. Natural monopolies (or semi-monopolies) like electricity distributon are typically regulated by business councils, but IEC ensures that such self-regulation is done fairly and thoroughly. IEC encourages in particular energy diversification, and supports innovative solutions to help Hàromszék's chronic shortage of energy supply. Some tax credits for investment in new energy technologies are available, as are programs where the Hz Confederation pays top skana for first articles of new developments.

Labor Relations Department Director    Rikhard Kalikaznicak DoLR is the personnel-side statistical arm of MoT. The data it collates is used by industry and labor institutions alike in planning for personnel matters. With little power to dictate, it still wields considerable persuasive powers in labor matters. One tool is a cooling-off period they cn briefly impose, interrupting incipent strikes or lockouts. Another is imposition of manditory talks -- DoLR may not dictate the results of such negotiation, only host it and require attendance. DoLR officials at such talks are addressed as "Tante ________" and are accorded the respect a senior aunt might have when admonishing family members "now y'all play nice together".

Research and Communications Department Director    Michaela Spanbauer The research here is that which is itself an article of trade -- the drawing of foreign scientists and engineers to Hz to conduct research, and the publication and development of research conducted by Hàromszéki citizens. This research benefits Hz, but sets up situations where mere discussion of a subject by an Hzi citizen with foreign counterparts can constitute export. Academic types continually have to be reminded of this, since they tend to operate on an assumption of free-exchange of ideas. The Communications portion of this department is the nexus for Confederation input into the ongoing development of ScandiaNet. Since our devastating cyberattack, these folks have also been at the head of government efforts to set the net back in place in the .hz domain. Results have been mixed -- frankly, private efforts have borne more fruit. Witness the way the few government web sites in operation in 1511 are hosted by such ISPs as HzNet and TistonajOnline, not on government servers.

Patent and Copyright Office Director    Cruistienne d'Autrèche Private property is a cornerstone of an effective society. Without it, people lose incentive to produce, and an economy withers. Intellectual property is perhaps the most precious of all, and the most needful of protection. Just because one can't put an idea in a box or touch it does not demean its value. Nor does the fact that ideas might be easily copied and spread necessarily mean they should be, or should be without cost. Roughly speaking, patents protect innovation of tangible objects, while copyrights protect innovation of published material. P&C for example takes a dim view of patenting software, instead relegating that to the realm of copyright. MoT's P&C office registers both types of innovation on behalf of their developers, domestic and foreign alike. P&C cooperates with other nations' authorities in an international network of registration and licensing. Both types of registration imply the possibility of use, demanding only proper compensation to authors, musicians, and inventors. P&C exacts a truly nominal fee at registration; if and when a registered property is developed, the sales process returns a tiny percentage to P&C, helping fund its operation. Since this "royalty" is capped, it is not a perpetual Hz government share in business transactions; it is more like a delayed licensing fee that is truly and exactly related to the benefit a developer receives from the protection. ScandiaNet issues have become hot topics for P&C, easing at the same time misappropriation of intellectual property and its widespread profitable development. Hàromszéki patents and copyrights cannot be 100% signed over by a developer. Even patents arising from work at one's job must remain partially in that individual's name. Profit from such materials' license is split, and the originating individual always receives at least 10%. Hàromszéki patents run for 10 years, renewable (under some conditions) once. Hàromszéki copyrights run for 10 years, renewable up to five times. International protections may extend longer or not as long, which is a situation P&C is trying to bring under international treaty agreement.

Tourism Department Director    Stanislav Gruza There's plenty of commercial outfits promoting Hz tourism quite well, so why does a minimalist government like the Confederation need a tourism department? For one, TD provides materials on government related tour destinations to the commercial operators -- info on tours of Confederation central offices, on-base museums at several military facilities, and the like. For another, TD acts as a clearinghouse for info for visitors from overseas -- from 6000 km away it is hard to know who to contact about horse events, or canal tours, or a new-year's parade. TD also acts as an advocate for tourism matters within the Confederation government. Lastly, TD publishes info of special interest to foreign tourists -- pointers on dealing with Hàromszéki culture, tutorials on Hz laws, warnings about dangers or special conditions.

Minister of Defense Sergy Toperczer, Maj Gen Ret. The Hz Ministry of Defense is the largest sector of any government in the Confederation. Our doctrines of preparedness-based deterrence and studied political neutrality have kept us out of wars since before the formation of the present Confederation, but that does not lessen the importance we place on a strong military. The Ministry of Defense is the subject of its own page of this site. Details of the three main services and the reserve corps are found there. The PM is the titular commander in chief of all the Hz military. Civilian control of the military is especially important when one considers the massive numbers of personnel in the services -- counting the reserve corps, the MoD by itself has more "citizens" than the smallest several constituent republics of the Confederation. In practice, the PM defers virtually every aspect of leadership to the Minister of Defense, and the Defense Minister has a corresponding amount of clout in the PM's councils.

Air Chief    Jeanette Capri, Flight Major, Reserves The Air Recon and Rescue Service sees plenty of peacetime action. Recon flights -- by way of aerial photogrammetry -- are run on behalf of SurveyHz's mapping activities. And rescue operations -- stranded hikers or seamen -- keep the service in practice and on its toes.
Border Chief    Karlo Hrebejk, Lt Gen Ret. The Hz Border Patrol carries out police-like duties at the edges of the nation. They are prepared against invasion or insurrection, but neither of those is a very likely scenario. They are also the primary security forces within National Parks and Wilderness areas, and some of their personnel assist civil authorities with disaster recovery operations in cases of flood, forest fire, storm, or earthquake.
Nav Chief    Pierre lePoisson, Capt, Reserves This Service's activities are directed by its Chief carrying out the PM's (infrequent) orders and standard operations. In lieu of any current national conflict, the Coast Guard protects Hz against smugglers, pirates, and other crime on the high seas, on inland waterways, and in Hàromszéki ports.
Reserves Secretary    Tamás Lazarovich, Flight Capt, Reserves Each of the active services has operational control of its associated Reserve units when they are on duty. The Reserves Secretary, on the other hand, has responsibility over them the rest of the year, dealing with the considerable personnel challanges inherent in a body of part-time workers millions strong.
Confederation Security Service Chief    Oszkar Necas Pursuant to the Law of NC HR No.171/93 Col. (6 July 1493), the CSS Office safeguards personal security of the Premier and other persons specified by the Hz Government. Under the Government Decree, the Premier is granted a life protection, other persons are granted protection in office and for nine months after termination of their tenure. The Office protects designated facilities and provides protection to persons who are entitled to it during their residence in Hz, in compliance with international agreements. The Office arranges for personnel transport of the Hàromszék Government other than on commercial scheduled flights. It deals with signals and knowledge relating to terrorism and a breach of safety of the protected persons and facilities. The Office protects and transports Hàromszéki governmental officials abroad, except that Hz Embassy, Consulate, and Interest Office security is normally provided by units of the ARR. Protection has been provided for foreign diplomatic missions and consular offices accredited in Hàromszék. The authorizing legislation assumes obligation for our country to take all appropriate measures and protect the premises of foreign diplomatic missions against any penetration or damage and to divert any disruption in peace of the diplomatic missions or in their reputation. It is essential to take all measures so as to prevent any attacks against the person or property of a diplomatic representative, his/her freedom, honour and immunity. On special requests of foreign representatives or due diplomatic notifications, the Office safeguards a variety of social and political events, set up by diplomatic representations accredited in the Hàromszéki Confederation. The protection differentiates the levels of danger according to the political atmosphere in the country of the diplomatic mission and the global situation of international politics but mainly the security situation in Hz itself. Facilities critical to the national interests of Hz within Hz may elect to contract for the guard services of CSS, or may use private security firms.
Secretary for Procurement    Arlette Harítiné, Capt, Reserves The Procurement Secretary's office has to keep a force of millions equipped, both on the field and in storage. In the best traditions of Hàromszéki society, Procurement makes extensive use of used equipment from other nations, and surplus and salvage from the domestic market. Their standards are high, but the initial state of some of their purchases might look a bit ratty. Keep in mind the vast manpower that MoD can bring to bear on any problem, especially ones involving repair, refit, and refurbishment (the "three-R's" of Hàromszéki education). Our military winds up with a very cost-effective set of materials to work with.

Minister of Agriculture Anna Bohackova Hàromszék's farmers feed our people and others as well - we are net exporters of foodstuffs. The Confederation government acknowleges that farmers know their business best, and accepts the maxim that all lawmakers know how to raise is a ruckus. Hence MinAg strives to encourage agricultural enterprise according to the free market, not to regulate it, which would invariably produce inefficency and unmarketable produce. "We're from the government andwe're here to help you." is not a contradiction when it's Confederation Ag experts talking. Most are farmers, ranchers, and researchers in their own right, and their advice comes as suggestions from co-laborers rather than as dictates from bureaucrats. The few regulatory powers granted MinAg are in the health & safety and taxation realms.

Forestry Service    Phillipe Fransures

Inspection Service    Petr Rozenhal

Environmental Service    Briya Sáray

Irrigation Affairs Service    Martin Quesnée

Import/ Export Service    Pavel Janecek

Research Service    Kris Arzillières

Republics Coordination Service    Loirisienne Monvier

Minister of Intergovernmental Relations Ruza Donea Hz has a multitude of component government bodies, and while we make up one nation, we don't always communicate effectively or cooperate perfectly. MIR smooths some of the inevitable friction, and codifies the methods and protocols that work. As long as we've been at this multilayered confederation, we're still experiencing some trial and error. That's not bad -- experimentation holds forth the posibility of improving on a system that already works pretty well. If we blindly marched along to a program set up fifty or a hundred years ago, we'd never be any better off than we were then.

Republican Affairs Bureau Secretary    Sebestyén Kornéley There's plenty of coordination needed to make this confederation work. There's also room for conflicts of interest, especially consiering the way each of the republics has jurisdiction over the entire scope of Hàromszéki territory. To ensure the maximum possible effect with the minimum interference between Confederation and Republic, or between two or more Republics, the Republican Affairs Bureau monitors the work of Hàromszéki government and speaks up as mediator or consultant when groups appear to be at cross purposes. This requires a light hand, since the natural setup of a three-branch government has checks and balances that are supposed to be conflicts, just polite ones. It's only when such intentional and productive conflict escalates into counterproductive disputes and rancor, that brakes have to be applied. The authority of the MIR RAB extends to an overriding veto or recess, temporary but absolute. Essentially, they can call "time out", and make it stick. The duration of a RAB Recess varies, according to their enabling legislation, from situation to situation, but can be as much as a week. RAB monitors are selected from applicants with wide linguistic skills and diplomatic natures. The Ministry of Foregn Affairs competes for the same personnel, and there is always a degree of "sheep-stealing" going on between the two agencies.

Provincial Relations Bureau Secretary    Dr. Zuzka Najemnik Provincial Relations Bureau actually handles relationships between the Confederation government and the provinces (not governments per se, just associations of Megye), the Megye (or counties), and local authorities. Even with the best of intentions, with that many lines of communication things are liable to get fouled up frequently, so this bureau has plenty of work. Since lower-level governments do not necessarily have to work in all the possible languages of the Confederation, PR Bureau is forced to communicate on their terms, so this is another group with a strong need for fluent translators and multilingualists.

Electoral Bureau Secretary    Dr. Omar Dimovski Electoral matters in Hz are more convoluted than a plate of spaghetti. With hundreds of political parties each pushing their agenda, and with competing republic constituencies trying to define precincts to their own advantage, the Secretary of the Electoral Bureau has to be either a diplomat or a military disciplinarian. Our current one is both, having served in the Foreign Affairs Ministry's diplomatic corps, and before that having been an officer in CSS units protecting Embassy personnel overseas. His bureau has to reconcile all the differing desires, or else dictate compromise versions and make them stick. Electoral precinct boundaries for lower-level governments are often derived from this Confederation bureau's work, since they are essentially unbiased when it comes to regional and local politics.

Confederate Ombudsman    Svatomir Tibor Hàromszék's Ombudsman is a busy person. Formal advocate on behalf of every citizen, he or she has authority to question almost any government action, and if necessary to remand issues to the courts, regulatory offices, or to police investigation. The Ombudsman is required to respond to queries promptly, and to settle issues quickly. ScandiaNet was a great help in meeting performance metrics, and the Ombudsman's office has been seriously impaired by its lack. Ombudsman queries are placet at the head of any waiting list or message queue within government offices. Some kind of answer really is provided quickly, even if it may be "we don't know; we'll have to find out".

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