Cover

“Another last-minute move could block ESM ratification in Karlsruhe”, announcesSüddeutsche Zeitungin the wake of the filing of a complaint with the German constitutional court by MP Peter Gauweiler. Judges at the court are to announce a ruling on the compliance of the European Stability Mechanism with German basic law on 12 September. Gauweiler is now demanding that this ruling, which would authorise the ratification of the ESM, should be postponed if the European Central Bank does not suspend its 6 September decision to buy sovereign debt.

For this representative of the CSU, the Bavarian branch of Angela Merkel’s CDU (Christian Democrat), the ECB lacks the democratic legitimacy to take such a decision. He argues that the latest plan amounts to “an ultra - and hyper - unlimited bailout” which will effectively put the ESM beyond the reach of control by Germany’s parliament the Bundestag.

For Süddeutsche Zeitung columnist, Heribert Prantl, the conflict highlights the “political cowardice” of a Germany that has failed to find a solution to the problem of the democratic deficit in Europe —

Receive the best of European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday

When it comes to the euro, European law doesn’t have wheels, but wings. These are special wings that enable it to take off and soar beyond the reach of controlling agencies and mechanisms. In the case of bailout measures for the euro (which are necessary and for the good of Europe, its saviours say) it flies very high, there where the air is rarified and democratic control is problematic. (...) In this situation, it would be nice to have a European parliament that could take action, but it has been sidelined. And it is precisely the constitutional court that contributed to this in 2009 by relegating this institution to the status of an inferior parliament.

According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the argument over the ESM’s lack of democratic legitimacy has also been raised by the legal service at the Bundestag. In response to an action filed by left-wing party Die Linke, the service ruled that contributions to the EU’s permanent bailout fund were contrary to the German parliament’s budgetary rules and in imposing constraints run the risk of “undermining the legitimacy of public authorities”.

Tags

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic