The Treaty of Lisbon continues on its high-wire act. On Wednesday, Germany’s Bundestag, or parliament, held a first debate on emergency repairs to the country’s long-winded attempt to ratify the European Union’s reform treaty. The latest thrill stemmed from a provocative judgment of the German constitutional court, delivered on 30 June, calling for amendments to a law setting out parliamentary responsibilities under Lisbon.

The Federal Constitutional Court’s job is to safeguard the Basic Law of the Federal Republic, drafted in 1948-49 to avoid the flaws of the constitution of the Weimar Republic (1919) which was subverted by the Nazis.