A
confederation is an association of sovereign member states, that by treaty have delegated certain of their competences to common institutions, in order to coordinate their policies in a number of areas, without however constituting a new state on top of the member states. Under international law, a confederation respects the sovereignty of its members and its constituting treaty can only be changed by unanimous agreement.
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of
sovereign states for common action in relation to other states. Usually created by
treaty but often later adopting a common
constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as
defense,
foreign affairs, or a common
currency, with the
central government being required to provide support for all members.
The nature of the relationship among the states constituting a confederation varies considerably. Likewise, the relationship between the member states and the central government, and the distribution of powers among them, is highly variable. Some looser confederations are similar to
intergovernmental organizations, while tighter confederations may resemble
federations.
In a non-political context, confederation is used to describe a type of organization which consolidates authority from other semi-autonomous bodies. Examples include sports confederations or confederations of Pan-European
trades unions.
The word "confederation" refers to the process of (or the event of) confederating; i.e., establishing a confederation (or by extension a federation). In
Canada,
Confederation generally refers to the
Constitution Act, 1867 which initially united three colonies of British North America (
Province of Canada,
Province of New Brunswick and
Province of Nova Scotia), and to the subsequent incorporation of other colonies and territories; Canada, however, is a federation, not a confederation.
Examples
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially known as the
Swiss Confederation, has been the most notable modern example of a confederation. It has been a confederacy since its inception, in
1291, and so remains namely to the present day. The
Old Swiss Confederacy was originally created as an alliance among the valley communities of the central Alps. The Confederacy facilitated management of common interests (free trade) and ensured peace on the important mountain trade. It should be noted, however, that Switzerland is a confederation only in name as, after the civil war of 1847 when some of the Catholic cantons tried to set up a separate alliance (the
Sonderbundskrieg), the resulting political system acquired all the characteristics of a
federation .
Iroquois Confederacy
The
Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the "League of Peace and Power", the "Five Nations"; the "Six Nations"; or the "People of the
Longhouse") is a group of
First Nations/
Native Americans that consist of six nations: the
Mohawk, the
Oneida, the
Onondaga, the
Cayuga, the
Seneca and the
Tuscarora. The Iroquois have a representative government known as the Grand Council. The Grand Council is the oldest governmental institution still maintaining its original form in North America. Each tribe sends chiefs to act as representatives and make decisions for the whole nation.
European Union
The
EU is not
de jure a confederation – but some academic observers conclude that it has elements of a confederation or a
federation.
A more nuanced view has been given by the German Constitutional Court. Here the EU is defined as 'an association of sovereign national states (
Staatenverbund)'.
Belgium
Many authors are now speaking of
Belgium as a country with some aspects of a Confederation. C.E. Lagasse wrote it about the agreements between Belgian Regions and Communities :
We are near the political system of a Confederation . Vincent de Coorebyter, Director of the CRISP wrote in
Le Soir Belgian is undoubtedly a federation... [but] has some aspects of a confederation Michel Quévit, Professor at the
Université Catholique de Louvain wrote also in
Le Soir The Belgian political system is already in dynamics of a Confederation . The same author wrote already about this issue in 1984 with other Professors
Confederation vs federation
By definition, the difference between a confederation and a
federation is that the membership of the
member states in a confederation is voluntary, while the membership in a federation is not. A confederation is most likely to feature these differences over a federation:
- (1) No real direct powers: many confederal decisions are externalised by member-state legislation.
- (2) Decisions on day-to-day-matters are not taken by simple majority but by special majorities or even by consensus or unanimity (veto for every member).
- (3) Changes of the constitution, usually a treaty, require unanimity.
Historic confederations
Note that historical confederations, especially those predating the 20th century, may not fit the current definition of a confederation, may be proclaimed as a federation but be confederal (or the reverse), and may not show any qualities that are today recognized as those of a federation.
Some have more the characteristics of a
personal union, but they are listed here because of their own self-styling.
- Switzerland (1291–1848), officially the Swiss Confederation
- Argentine Confederation (1832–1860) (Even though the Argentine Republic can also be called Argentine Confederation nowadays)
- Canada (Self-styled as to "Confederation", the act of joining Canadian provinces in the British North America Act of 1867; Canada is not a Confederacy but rather a decentralized Federal Monarchy)
See also
