confederaties

A confederation, or confederatie in Dutch, is a political arrangement in which a group of sovereign states agrees to cooperate on specific tasks while retaining overall sovereignty. In a confederation the central authority is typically limited in scope and power, existing mainly to handle defined common interests such as defense, foreign policy, or trade rules. Decisions are usually made by representatives of the member states, and the central body acts only with the consent of the member states or through procedures that require broad agreement.

Key features include a clear separation of competences between member states and the central authority, a reliance on voluntary cooperation, and the possibility for member states to withdraw or amend the agreement. The central authority often lacks independent power to enforce laws on individuals or to overrule member-state legislation. Financing the central functions is commonly done through member contributions rather than centralized taxation.

Confederations are distinct from federations. In a federation, a central government has constitutional authority over the entire population and can enact laws that bind both the central and subnational levels. In a confederation, the central power is delegated and generally subordinate to the member states, which retain ultimate sovereignty.

Historic and modern examples include the Swiss Confederation in its early form as a loose association of cantons, and the United States under the Articles of Confederation (1781–1789) before the current federal system. The Confederate States of America (1861–1865) likewise represented a historical confederation. In contemporary discourse, some regional unions describe cooperative arrangements in confederal terms, though most are not classical confederations.