By Karin Matussek - Sep 12, 2012 1:06 PM GMT+0400
Ronald Wittek/AP Photo
Andreas Vosskuhle, second left, presiding judge of the German constitutional court is flanked by other judges, from left, Peter Huber, Gertrude Luebbe-Wolff and Herbert Landau as he announces their verdict on the permanent eurozone rescue fund in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Sept. 12, 2012.
Germany’s top constitutional court cleared the way for the permanent euro-area rescue fund, rejecting bids to halt German ratification of the 500 billion- euro ($644 billion) backstop while imposing some conditions on its use.
Chief Justice Andreas Vosskuhle, left, arrives at the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Sept. 12, 2012. Photographer: Ronald Wittek/AP Photo
The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe today dismissed motions filed by groups including a conservative lawmaker and an opposition political party that sought to block the fund, known as the European Stability Mechanism, and a deficit-control treaty championed by Chancellor Angela Merkel. The court stipulated that a cap of about 190 billion euros be set on German liabilities before ESM ratification, unless parliament decides to back extra funds.
“The review has concluded that the laws that were challenged, with high probability, do not violate the constitution,” chief justice Andreas Vosskuhle told the court. “Hence the motions for a temporary injunction were to be rejected.”
The legal challenge to the planned rescue fund highlights bailout fatigue in Europe’s largest economy and delayed efforts by Merkel and other euro-area policy makers to stem the region’s debt crisis. In the neighboring Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a Merkel ally, is seeking re-election today.
Stocks and the euro rose after the ruling. The single currency gained 0.3 percent to $1.2896 at 10:46 a.m. in Berlin, while the Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.7 percent.
German Limit
“Some uncertainties” about the limit on Germany’s contribution to the ESM and the scope of the German parliament’s say over the fund also flowed into the ruling, Vosskuhle said. The judges also said that Germany must state when ratifying that it won’t be felt bound by the treaty unless these reservations are efficiently met.
Today’s cases were filed after German lawmakers approved the ESM and the fiscal pact, a deficit-control treaty designed to impose budget discipline on European Union member states. About 37,000 people signed up to endorse a constitutional complaint filed by political group “Mehr Demokratie e.V.” Other plaintiffs include opposition party Die Linke as well as Peter Gauweiler, a lawmaker from Merkel’s CSU Bavarian sister party.
The lower house, or Bundestag, “must remain the place to autonomously decide about revenues and expenditures,” the court wrote in the judgment. Germany may not agree to “permanent international mechanisms, which would be tantamount to taking over liabilities incurred by other states, particularly when they amount to consequences that are hard to calculate.”
Oral Arguments
For today’s ruling, the court chose six cases. The judges only had to decide whether to halt ratification of the treaties while reviewing the suits more closely.
The German judges heard oral arguments on July 10 from groups challenging the viability of the EU’s fiscal pact and the ESM, which both houses of parliament approved with two-thirds majorities on June 29. The complaints by a group of lawmakers, academics and political groups sought an injunction while the court reviews the cases in detail.
The challengers argued that the crisis-fighting legislation transfers constitutionally mandated authority from German lawmakers and undermines democratic rule.
Much in the crisis hinges on the permanent ESM, which is designed to go into operation as the temporary European Financial Stability Facility is phased out through next year. The bailout fund would work in tandem with the ECB in buying bonds to lower yields for states such as Spain and Italy.
Previously, the court cleared each step of European integration. Last year, the judges cleared the Greek bailout and the EFSF, while saying Germany may not agree to take over unlimited future liabilities incurred by other EU member states.
To contact the reporters on this story: Karin Matussek in Berlin at kmatussek@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at .
