Duits Hof: Duitse parlement betrekken bij toekomstige reddingsoperaties (en)
Germany's highest court on Wednesday approved the country's participation in the Greek bailout and eurozone i rescue fund, throwing out suits attempting to bring a halt to the country’s participation in the first, €110 billion bail-out of Greece and the eurozone i’s €750 billion rescue fund.
But the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe also said that the German parliament must have more say when it comes to agreeing further bailout packages.
There can be no "automatic" payments, said court president Andreas Vosskuhle.
“[The ruling] should not be mistakenly interpreted as a constitutional blank cheque authorising further rescue measures," he said.
“Parliamentary decisions about taxing and spending are a central element of democratic self government under the constitution,” he added in his ruling.
“As representatives of the people, the elected members of parliament thus also need to remain in control over elementary budgetary decisions.”
The ruling was in line with most expectations. Few legal experts believed that the court would side with the team of eurosceptics, led by economist Joachim Starbatty, on the substance of their suit that European bail-outs have been unconstitutional.
Most did however predict that the court would insist that similar future decisions would require the authorisation of the Bundestag, a move that is likely to throw sand in the wheels of Europe’s attempts to react to market pressures rapidly without having to wait for the slow wheels of parliamentary processes to turn.
The European Commission said it had "taken note with satisfaction" ofthe court's ruling noting that the decision had "an important bearing" on the capacity of the eurozone to "surmount" the debt crisis.