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Congress of Germany Meets: No Agreements So Far

Following an invitation from Sir George Mackay of Hannover, representatives of the states of Germany have been meeting in the city hall (and beer gardens) of Braunschweig, seeking common ground among the states of Germany. Thus far, there have been many discussions and free exchanges of views, but no collective agreement has been produced or treaties signed. There was near consensus that Germany would not produce a unification agreement like the one signed by the majority of Italian states, partly due to a sense of some delegates that such an agreement might be risky, partly due to the difficulty of finding sufficient common ground among such a large number of nations.
Delegates had a range of views of what the Congress might achieve when the Congress opened last week. Some delegates, such as the one from Hannover, were seeking "to determine if there was any broad feeling of German unity" and perhaps produce a treaty expressing it if so. Other delegates were hopeful of maintaining the peace of Germany but made no mention of broader arrangements or common policies, while others had merely hoped for an exchange of views but did not expect much more to come of the arrangements. Multiple delegates saw the ties of several northern German states to non-German powers as an obstacle to German unity, and perhaps even to a peace arrangement, while others sensed that conflicts involving non-German powers on Germany's borders would likely spread to Germany despite efforts of the Congress to prevent it.
There was also a range of views among the delegates on how much had been accomplished. Some spoke favorably of draft documents being circulated and hoped that agreement on them might be reached in the near future. Others were more skeptical, professing that "a considerable amount of discussion has not led to any significant results" so far. Almost all expressed the hope that some sort of agreement could be reached before the Congress broke up, though some acknowledged that an agreement might not involve all of the states of Germany, and in particular, that including the states with foreign ties might prove difficult (as Tuscany has not been included in the pan-Italian arrangements). What might be agreed on was much less certain, one delegate noting, "I had hope for something concrete to come of the Congress. What it is, is yet to be seen." Some noted that the northern German states were already making treaties among themselves, which was not a hopeful sign for those seeking broadly coordinated action; one said he was "somewhat dismayed that Swedish Pomerania & British Hannover have had such dominance...a stronger lead from the larger central states is something I would have expected." The central states have, however, generally either been quiet, or when they have spoken, somewhat skeptical about the chances of broad agreement.
As the conference continued, calls for German unity did not abate, with one delegate calling out: "Princes of Central Germany: this is the opportunity to step on to the European stage and proclaim your strength. Let the stage lights reveal you in your solidarity and strength. Let the so called major nations eyeing each other across your lands think twice before stepping foot on your territories." Others were willing to settle for less, expressing the belief that "the German states are in agreement as to keeping out of the war that appears to be forthcoming." However, recently there have been more sightings of small groups of delegates from neighboring states in the hallways and booths of the beer gardens, and some delegates were concerned that smaller blocs within Germany, impatient with the pace of the Congress, might go their own ways before any general agreements could be reached.

Italy Reaches Unification Agreement: Tuscany Excluded
The Italian states, with the exception of Tuscany which shares a monarch with Austria, and Naples have reached agreement on a unification government. Little has been said about the government's policies except for what has been made public in the Treaty of Lisbon; in short, while the signatories retain their individual sovereignty, foreign policy is to be conducted by a central council and mutual defense is required. The treaty expressly forbids threats against Tuscany, but it is not entirely clear how much credibility this clause of the treaty has - it is also unclear, and unspoken, whether the new treaty will receive approval or disapproval from the Republican government in France. Delegates at the Congress of Germany in Braunschweig did express some relief at the news of the Italian agreement, one saying "If it works, it can be a model for us to try something similar; if it fails, then at least it will focus attention on Italy and away from Germany, which already faces sufficient threats to its peace as matters stand."