Anniversary of the German constitution

Author(s)
Andrea Nahles, MP, Social Democratic Party
Published in
Germany, German Bundestag (Deutscher Bundestag) (2019), Plenarprotokoll 19/101, 16 May 2019
Page numbers
12149
Publication month
Mai
Publication day
16
Publication Year
2019
During the debate on the occasion of 70th anniversary of the German Basic Law Andrea Nahles, then leader of the Social Democratic Party, noted that the constitutional mission to realise a united Europe was partly accomplished by the Lisbon Treaty. She claimed that the Fundamental Rights Charter as European constitution is a major step towards a social Europe which has now to be filled with life, among others by introducing a European minimum wage to implement Art. 31 (1) of the Charter.
Quote: “Mit dem EU-Vertrag von Lissabon im Jahr 2009 sind wir auf diesem Weg ein gutes Stück vorangekommen [bei der Verwirklichung eines vereinten Europa]. Vor allem haben wir mit der EU-Grundrechtecharta einen großen und auch rechtsverbindlichen Schritt hin zu einem sozialen Europa getan. Seitdem haben wir beides: eine deutsche Verfassung und ein europäisches Grundgesetz. Es ist jetzt an der Zeit, die Bestimmungen der EU-Grundrechtecharta auch mit Leben zu füllen.”
Translated quote: “With the EU Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, we have made good progress along this path [to realise a united Europe]. Above all, we have taken a major and legally binding step towards a social Europe with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Since then, we have both a German constitution and a European basic law. It is now time to breathe life into the provisions of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.”