Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports that the Bavarian Christian democrats of the CSU (Christian Social Union) are blocking the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. This is despite the fact that the party had voiced its approval for an 18 August agreement between the federal government and the Länder (German regions) on a law to accompany the treaty, which will require the German parliament to participate in EU decisions concerning Germany. The law was requested by the Constitutional Court in June when it gave a green light to the treaty, which will have to be ratified before general elections on 27 September.
According to FAZ, the CSU now wishes to impose two conditions: 1) that the treaty will only apply within the limits authorized by the Constitutional Court, and 2) that the German government and parliament will have the right to contest decisions taken by Brussels before the Constitutional Court if the EU institutions overstep their mandate.
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