Oral hearing in the proceedings “Expanded Asset Purchase Programme of the European Central Bank” on Tuesday, 30 July 2019, 3:00 p.m., and Wednesday, 31 July 2019, 10:00 a.m.

Press Release No. 43/2019 of 25 June 2019

Reference: 2 BvR 859/15, 2 BvR 1651/15, 2 BvR 2006/15, 2 BvR 980/16

The Second Senate of the Federal Constitutional Court will conduct an oral hearing on 

Tuesday, 30 July 2019, 3:00 p.m., and Wednesday, 31 July 2019, 10:00 a.m.
in the courtroom of the Federal Constitutional Court,
Schlossbezirk 3, 76131 Karlsruhe

on four constitutional complaints concerning the Public Sector Purchase Programme (PSPP) of the European Central Bank for the purchase of public sector securities.

In its Order of 18 July 2017 (cf. Press Release 70/2017 of 15 August 2017), the Senate referred several questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union for a preliminary ruling. In particular, these questions concerned the prohibition of monetary financing of Member State budgets, the monetary policy mandate of the European Central Bank, and a potential encroachment upon the Members States’ competence and sovereignty in budget matters. In its Judgment of 11 December 2018 (C-493/17), the Court of Justice of the European Union decided on the referred questions. The Senate will now resume the proceedings.

The outline of the oral hearing can be accessed here.

Information for for the General Public

Persons wishing to attend the oral hearing or the pronouncement of the judgment are welcome but must register at the following address:

              Mr Stadtler
              Postfach 1771, 76006 Karlsruhe, Germany
              Phone: +49 721 9101-400
              Telefax: +49 721 9101-461
              Email: besucherdienst@bundesverfassungsgericht.de

When registering, please indicate your surname, first name, date of birth, and contact data (a phone or telefax number or an e-mail address).

Please refer to the Federal Constitutional Court’s Data Protection Statement for information on the protection of personal data (Arts. 13 and 14 GDPR) in the context of visitor registration. The Data Protection Statement is available on the Federal Constitutional Court’s website under the heading “Data Protection”. You may also request a paper-based version of the data protection statement.

The visitors’ seats will be allocated in the order in which the registrations are received.

Accreditation Requirements and Information for Journalists 

Accreditation 

The accreditation procedure starts when this press release is published and ends on Thursday, 25 July 2019, at 12:00 noon. After this period, accreditation is no longer possible.

Please use the form provided for accreditation requests. The form must be filled in completely and signed. If applicable, a copy of the valid press card must be enclosed; this is only necessary for the first accreditation during the card’s term of validity. The accreditation request may be sent by e-mail to presse@bundesverfassungsgericht.de or or by telefax to +49 721 9101-461. Accreditation requests sent to other e-mail addresses or telefax numbers of the Court will not be considered.

Members of the Justizpressekonferenz Karlsruhe e.V. may send their accreditation requests to the Federal Constitutional Court’s Press Office without having to use the form.

Accreditation requests will be considered in the order in which they are received. If requests are received simultaneously, accreditation is awarded by drawing lots. A few days after the expiry of the deadline, the Federal Constitutional Court will notify the applicants by e-mail whether their accreditation was successful or not.

Please refer to the Federal Constitutional Court’s Data Protection Statement for information on the protection of personal data (Arts. 13 and 14 GDPR) in the context of the accreditation procedure. The Data Protection Statement is available on the Federal Constitutional Court’s website under the heading “Data Protection”. You may also request a paper-based version of the data protection statement.

Availability and Allocation of Seats 

The press gallery in the courtroom holds a total of 42 seats for media representatives, 11 of which are reserved for members of the Justizpressekonferenz. Seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Media representatives who cannot obtain a seat in the press gallery may follow the oral hearing in the press room or – provided seats are available– in the courtroom itself.

There will be an audio transmission from the courtroom to the press room. The press room is equipped with 60 desk workplaces. A limited number of power outlets for laptop computers is available. The Federal Constitutional Court cannot vouch for the capacity of mobile telephone and data networks.

Additional Rules Concerning the Courtroom 

It is not permissible to make phone calls, tweet or send other messages, retrieve digital data, or use the internet in any way within or from the courtroom. Allelectronic devices which can be used for these purposes, in particular mobile phones, laptop computers and tablet computers, may not be used in the courtroom. Media representatives may obtain permission to use computers in offline mode in the press gallery if it is ensured that the devices are not used for audio or image recording or for data transmission.

Taking Photographs and Filming; Pooling 

1. Taking photographs, filming, and audio recording is permissible until the presiding Justice of the Senate has established the presence of the parties to the proceedings. After that, photographers and camera teams must leave the courtroom level (including the foyer outside the courtroom and the press gallery). They may go to the reception room on the first floor. Pronouncements of judgments may be fully transmitted by audiovisual means.

2. Media pools will be set up for taking photographs and filming in the courtroom. Two television teams (a public and a private television station with a maximum of three cameras each) and six photographers (four agency photographers and two freelance photographers) will be admitted to the courtroom. The pool representatives undertake to supply, upon request, their photographs and films to other radio and television stations, as well as to photographic agencies.

Willingness to be a pool representative must be explicitly stated with the accreditation request. Pool representatives are appointed according to the order in which the accreditation requests are received. If requests are received simultaneously, the function of pool representative is allocated by drawing lots. The television stations, agencies, and photographers so chosen are free in determining the members of their teams.

3. When taking photographs and filming in the courtroom, photographers, camera operators, and other media representatives must ensure that the Senate has an unobstructed field of vision in all directions. Taking photographs, filming, and audio recording from behind the Justices’ bench is not permissible. Instructions to this end by the court staff must be complied with. Taking photographs and filming is only permitted with silent devices and without a flash.

4. After the end of the oral hearing or pronouncement of judgment, and during the lunch break, a period of 20 minutes is allocated for interviewing, filming, or photographing the parties to the proceedings or other individuals in the courtroom itself. After this time, only the reception room on the first floor and the entrance hall on the ground floor are available for this purpose.

Vehicles of Radio and Television Teams; Technicians 

There are only a limited number of parking spaces available for SNG vehicles, editing vehicles, and OB vans. If accredited journalists require parking space, they must indicate so along with the accreditation request on the form provided. The parking spaces are allocated in the order in which the requests are received. The following information is required for the allocation of parking space: number plate, vehicle type, make, dimensions (L x W x H in metres), weight and, if applicable, request for the Federal Constitutional Court to provide electrical hook-up. 

The names, dates of birth, and ID card numbers of the accompanying technicians, and the vehicle data may be submitted after the request for parking space. The form provided must be used for this. This also applies to media represented by members of the Justizpressekonferenz. The form must be sent by email to the address presse@bundesverfassungsgericht.de, or by telefax to +49 +721 9101-461, by Monday, 29 July 2019, at 12:00 noon, at the latest.

Media representatives with allocated parking space may set up the equipment on the day before the oral hearing from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, and on the day of the oral hearing or the pronouncement of the judgment between 7:00 am and 9:00 am.

Setting up of Studios 

The Press Office must be consulted in advance should media representatives wish to set up a studio. Studios may be set up in the reception room on the first floor and in the entrance hall on the ground floor.

This information is based on § 17a of the Federal Constitutional Court Act in conjunction with the supplementary provisions laid down by the First and the Second Senate of the Federal Constitutional Court.