German President Horst Koehler has
suspended ratification of the Lisbon Treaty following a request to wait from Germany's constitutional court, aides said in Berlin Monday.
Opponents of the European Union (EU) reform treaty have gone to the court
demanding injunctions against its ratification. It may take until next year for
the constitutional court to give a verdict.
The document has already won a blessing from both chambers of the German
parliament, but needs a signature from Koehler for Germany's ratification to be
complete. The treaty has been imperilled since it was rejected by Irish voters
in a referendum.
Koehler's functions are mainly ceremonial, but he has sometimes used his
limited powers to block government legislation.
"In view of the applications for injunctions, the president has acceded to
a request from the constitutional court," a statement by Koehler's office
said.
The injunctions are being sought by Peter Gauweiler, a maverick federal deputy
in Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Left Party. The Left claims
the treaty breaches parliamentary rights.
Court officials in the southern justice capital of Karlsruhe said no hearing
date had been set, though judges wanted to deal with the issue speedily. The
justices must read the documents and first decide whether or not to hear the case,
which could take many months.
In 2006, Koehler also delayed his signature to a forerunner of the Lisbon
Treaty. That constitutional treaty subsequently collapsed when it was rejected
by Dutch and French voters, dpa reported.