Germany will not complete ratification of the EU constitution until a court has ruled on whether the treaty conforms with Germany's own constitution, the country’s president Horst Koehler announced today.
Germany's lower and upper houses of parliament approved the treaty last month, but Mr Koehler needs to sign the document for German ratification to take effect.
Mr Koehler's announcement came on the eve of an EU summit in Brussels where European leaders are expected to discuss a way out of the political crisis brought about by French and Dutch rejections of the constitution.
Designed to streamline decision-making in the EU following its enlargement last year, the charter requires the backing of all 25 member states to go into force.
Mr Koehler was referring to a pending ruling by Germany's Constitutional Court in response to a legal challenge by an opposition parliamentarian, Mr Peter Gauweiler. It is unclear how soon the court will rule, but it could take several months.
Mr Gauweiler, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), is one of a small group of German opponents of the charter.
In April, Germany's Constitutional Court rejected an initial legal challenge to the treaty by Mr Gauweiler, allowing parliament to vote on it. But Mr Gauweiler, who wants Germany to hold a referendum on the issue, filed a fresh challenge on May 27th.
Germany's constitution does not allow for referendums. Any changes to the document would require a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament.