German Court Set To Admit Anti-Emu Case

One of four academics trying to stop Germany from joining the planned European single currency said yesterday that the countrys constitutional court was set to admit the case.

The court has asked the German government, parliament, federal states and several other bodies to make statements on the issues raised by the petition, Professor Karl Albrecht Schachtschneider said.

The courts decision made a delay of European economic and monetary union (EMU) more likely, he said.

"The constitutional court is asking the bodies involved to make a statement," Schachtschneider said in a telephone interview. "We have been asked to send the court 25 more copies of our petition."

 

Schachtschneider, a law professor, said the request for statements was a strong indication that the court was going to admit the case and allow it to proceed.

That in turn made it more likely that the court would grant the academics' request for an injunction stopping Bonn taking a decision to join EMU while the main case is reviewed, he said.

"It makes a political delay (of EMU) much more likely," Schachtschneider said.

The group of academics, dubbed the gang of four, argue in their 350-page petition that the euro's launch should be delayed as governments will not respect the economic convergence criteria in the European Unions Maastricht Treaty.

They also argue that the euro will prove a weaker currency than the German mark.

The petition was submitted to the countrys highest court last month. The constitutional court could not immediately be reached for comment.

It could take one or two years to make a decision if it does admit the case, and will have to decide whether to grant the injunction.