By Harriet Torry
Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe is set to rule Wednesday at 8 a.m. GMT on whether the European Stability Mechanism — the euro zone’s permanent bailout fund aimed at stemming the sovereign debt crisis — and the fiscal pact on states’ budget limits are in keeping with the German constitution.
The ruling is viewed as key in the euro zone’s future ability to support struggling member states, as a “no” could leave the euro zone without a viable firewall against financial contagion for an unknown period.
