Auroran law

Auroran law refers to the legally binding customs, treaties and laws of the United Nations of the Auroran Continent. This terminology specifically excludes the domestic laws passed by member states. The foundation of Auroran law is the Charter of the United Nations of the Auroran Continent, which provides for the establishment of the UNAC and lays out its most basic functions and structures and relationship with member states. From this Charter, member states may enact treaties which further affect their relationship with the UNAC and each other. In turn, the Auroran Parliament and Council of the UNAC only have the power to pass laws which conform to the treaties and Charter of the UNAC. Some of these laws have direct implications on the internal governance of member states such that the UNAC is arguably a quasi-confederation.

Treaties

Treaties make up the foundation of Auroran law. Treaties refer to binding agreements among member states. According to the Charter of the UNAC, treaties must be agreed unanimously by member states to pass. For this reason, treaties take an incredibly long time to pass and comprise a small portion of UNAC law. Nevertheless, treaties of the UNAC are by far the most powerful documents of the UNAC as they amend or supplement the Charter and bind UNAC member states to UNAC authority. Treaties require the consent of the executive branches of the member states and the ratification of their respective legislatures to pass (in line with their laws and customs).

Besides the Charter of the UNAC, other treaties include the following:

• Charter of the Auroran Monetary Fund which establishes the AMF, sets out its powers and duties, provides the basis of its shareholding structure and governs its relationship with the UNAC.

Statute

The Auroran Parliament and the Council of the UNAC comprise the Legislature of the UNAC. The Auroran Parliament is elected once every four years by the citizens of UNAC member states by single-member constituencies. Only parties registered at the continental level can run in elections. Thus, most political parties in members states form part of a larger transnational political party such as the Auroran Socialist Democratic Party. In contrast, the Council of the UNAC is composed of Representatives from member states as appointed by their governments.

There are three types of statues that exist in the UNAC as follows. Only the Commission of the UNAC can propose acts. However the Auroran Parliament has committees which scrutinize legislative proposals and recommend amendments to the UNAC Commission prior to the passage of an act. This can help the Auroran Parliament shape the continent of legislation.

Ordinary acts

Ordinary acts refer to statutes that control day to day running of transnational issues. This can include intracontinental trade and movement, multilateral scientific cooperation, multilateral food and drug standards, data privacy, environmental protection, fishing and related legislation. As part of the UNAC Charter, all island member states have certain opt-outs from ordinary acts, i.e. some laws do not apply or the government of that island country can choose which parts to obey. This exemption covers issues such as but not limited to food imports, immigration, and marine and land ecology. These acts require a simple majority in the Auroran Parliament and the Council of the UNAC to pass. Most of the time these acts are either projects that require transnational cooperation or standards and guidelines. They rarely make requirements that affect how member states run their domestic affairs.

Prominent examples include:

• Intracontinental Highway Promotion Act
• Drug Health and Safety Standards Act
• Data Privacy Protection Standards Act

Emergency acts

Emergency acts refer to acts that require the approval of all members of the Council of the UNAC. Emergency acts can be passed by the Council of the UNAC without the approval of the Auroran Parliament. Emergency acts have an in-built expiration date. They are used as temporary relief or response to an emergency such as a war or a natural disaster. They allow for the mobilization and redirection of funds that would otherwise require a formal budget and other appropriations legislation. Emergency acts can also suspend the implementation of ordinary laws to enable member states to redirect resources and political capital to responding to a crisis. This type of act arose directly as a response to the failure of the Auroran Continental Assembly to respond to the Auroran Pacific War of 2017 and it was also inspired by the Cyclone Mable disaster of 2018.