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German court to examine Lisbon treaty
Posted: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:52 pm
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European Union leaders signed the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, a document intended to strengthen the roles of many EU institutions. Germany's constitutional court is preparing for an unusually long hearing on treaty, in a process that may determine the fate of the document for all EU member states.

The court is considering a complaint brought by conservative MP Peter Gauweiler, who has argued that the treaty infringes on the rights given to German citizens in their country's constitution by allowing a foreign court - the European Court of Justice - to decide upon such issues. He also argues that the treaty undermines the power of Germany's own parliament, the Bundestag.

The hearing is set to last for two days.

Dietrich Murswiek, the lawyer handling the case for Mr Gauweiler, remarked on the hearing's length. "This shows that the constitutional court is taking the issue very seriously," he said. "A hearing of longer than a day happens very rarely."

Although Germany's parliament has ratified the treaty and the president has signed it off, the final step to complete the process - formally handing the papers over in Rome - will remain stalled until the court has decided.

The treaty must be ratified in all 27 member states to come into force. The Czech Republic, Poland and Ireland also have yet to complete ratification.
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