Economics

EU Judges Hit Back at ‘War Declaration’ by Top German Court

  • ECJ says it alone can say when an EU institution breaks EU law
  • Juncker, Schaeuble express concerns about German court ruling

Wolfgang Schaeuble

Photographer: Zach Gibson/Bloomberg
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The European Union’s top court hit back at the German judges who delivered the most stinging criticism in the EU tribunal’s 68-year history as part of a ruling on the European Central Bank’s powers.

In an unprecedented counterattack on Friday, the EU Court of Justice said its entire purpose is to make sure EU law is properly applied across the 27-nation bloc. It said it “alone” has the “jurisdiction to rule that an act of an EU institution is contrary to EU law.”