German Left challenging EU Treaty

[Ulster-Lad]

In addition to the Poles and Czechs, the German courts will have to rule on Lisbon as well.

The Left sees the treaty as giving too much power to the European Council, the council of the heads of state and government, at the expense of national parliaments and the European Parliament.

In the second, Left member of parliament Diether Dehm applied to the court on the grounds that the rights of members of parliament were infringed.

It seems the tide is starting to go against the Parliamentary approval process in Germany.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...nal-court.html

[eurosceptic]

Great stuff. The elites being challenged across the EU. If i am right the german courts have consistently ruled the EU does not have "kompetenz kompetenz" (the competence to determine your competences) so hopefully they rule against this.

[Universal_001]

You have to admire the irony of a party whos predecessor ruled East Germany under communism, complaining about too much power being given to an unaccountable body....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politburo_ ... viet_Union

[Ulster-Lad]

Actually, this is 2 seperate lawsuits.

Why does it seem the left is generally opposed to the treaty and the right supports it? Does this imply that the governments in Europe are more Right then then people and as such diametrically opposed to the people they represent? Does this same thesis apply to Ireland?

[FutureTaoiseach]

Fingers-crossed.

[Rocky]

Actually, this is 2 seperate lawsuits.

Why does it seem the left is generally opposed to the treaty and the right supports it? Does this imply that the governments in Europe are more Right then then people and as such diametrically opposed to the people they represent? Does this same thesis apply to Ireland?

No it’s more of a case of the moderates supporting it on both sides and the extremists opposing it on both sides. For example in Germany, the Social Democratic Party, the SPD are in favour of the Treaty, while various extreme right wing parties such as UKIP and various fascists oppose it.

[Shankill Browser]

It seems the tide is starting to go against the Parliamentary approval process in Germany.

It has nothing to do with the method of ratification. Whether it's via a referendum or a parliamentary process, that is not the issue.

[Ulster-Lad]

[quote=Shankill Browser]

It seems the tide is starting to go against the Parliamentary approval process in Germany.

It has nothing to do with the method of ratification. Whether it's via a referendum or a parliamentary process, that is not the issue.[/quote:dc9fci9k]

Then I suppose that the German courts will decide. I am not an authority on German law but I can speak to to attitude of the average German on the streets of Stuttgart, Germany. They do not support it. If it was put to a referendum I would dare say it would be defeated. The Germans are fed up with the system as it is now and do not support giving more power to Brussels. They blame them in fact for a majority of the problems they have there now. Immigration and taxes is the most of it and I realise that is incumbant upon the goverment and not Brussels but that is the German perspective. They feel they are losing their National identity.

[Shankill Browser]

Great stuff. The elites being challenged across the EU. If i am right the german courts have consistently ruled the EU does not have "kompetenz kompetenz" (the competence to determine your competences) so hopefully they rule against this.

True, the German Constitutional(?) Court has ruled, more than once I think, that the EU does not have the competence to determine its own competences.

However, expecting the court to rule against Lisbon based on that is just daft. Lisbon is an international treaty, negotiated and signed by 27 sovereign governments. The EU just hasn't decided, 'Right, I'll give myself a few more competences in this area'.

[Shankill Browser]

Then I suppose that the German courts will decide.

You are right. It's about whether Lisbon is unconstitutional or not.