From City AM
The pressure is telling on the region’s leaders, with Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker lashing out at German chancellor Angela Merkel for what he called her "un-European manner".
Regarding Merkel’s comments that issuing single, region-wide Eurozone bonds (or "E-bonds") would not be legal under current treaties, he retorted: “The proposal is being rejected before it has been studied. Germany’s thinking is a bit simple on that."
As it happens, Germans take their constitution (Grundgesetz, a very fine constitution it is too) very seriously. If it says that the German government isn't allowed to do certain things, then they don't do them. They apply the same logic to the EU Treaties, either something's allowed or it isn't.
Where it gets really complicated is when the Grundgesetz prevents the German government from doing something that is legal or even required under an EU Treaty, but apparently the simple fact that something is illegal under an EU Treaty is irrelevant, and refusing to do it is "un-European".
What have we wrought in the UK?
7 hours ago
2 comments:
Is being declared 'unEuropean' now Top Insult having replaced pedo and racist?
Has a case of German Constitution V Euro Treaty ever been tested? As a hypothetical example, what would happen if an EU treaty required Germany to take part in an aggressive overseas war?
(Silly example I know but I believe Germanys constitution specifically forbids this)
B, it would appear so.
As to the second question, when they tried to push through the Lisbon treaty in Germany, there were lots of legal challenges to the country's constitutional court saying that e.g. handing over sovereignty like that was against Germany's constitution so the government wasn't allowed to do it, some of which looked as if they would succeed, but they didn't of course.
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