Germany's parliament has been ordered to release confidential documents about UFOs after a lengthy legal battle.

The existence of the files was disputed as recently as 2008, but a UFO enthusiast discovered evidence to the contrary and pushed for their release.

News of the impending publication has been welcomed by UFO researchers, but some fear they may not be as exciting as hoped.

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Germany's parliament has been ordered to release confidential documents about UFOs, after a lengthy legal battle. A stock image of Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel is shown

The German Supreme Administrative Court in Leipzig ordered the Bundestag to make the UFO files available.

In 2008, Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany's Minister of the Interior denied that the German government had ever investigated UFOs, but in 2009, a UFO enthusiast named Robert Fleischer discovered a parliamentary department had been investigating extraterrestrial objects.

A German blogger named Frank Reitemeyer took the Bundestag to court over the secret reports and the dispute has only just been resolved,The Express reported.

No date for the release of information has yet been confirmed.

In 2008, Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany's Minister of the Interior denied that the German government had ever investigated UFOs (illustrated with a stock image), but in 2009, a UFO enthusiast named Robert Fleischer discovered a parliamentary department about extraterrestrial objects

FAMOUS UFO SIGHTINGS IN THE UK The British version of Roswell reportedly took place over Christmas in 1980. It occurred in Rendlesham Forest, which is next to RAF military bases. Soldiers reportedly saw unusual lights and when they investigated, found a metal object with coloured lights. But as they approached the 'craft', it moved away, frightening farm animals. The incident is unexplained, but some people say the lights were reflections from a nearby lighthouse and the craft may have been a secret weapon. On March 31, 1992, high speed white objects were spotted in the skies and an officer at RAF Cosford and Shawbury spotted a large triangular craft hovering at 200ft, which was humming and shining a spotlight. The incident was reported to the Ministry of Defence and sceptics say it could be explained by a nearby police tracking helicopter or a Russian rocket re-entering the atmosphere. Advertisement

UFO enthusiasts are already looking forward to March, when the UK's Ministry of Defence will make 18 confidential UFO files available in the National Archive, although there's a chance they may not be accessible by the public.

Some paranormal investigators have greeted the forthcoming German release with enthusiasm, but Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigation Manual, said: 'They won't reveal any secrets about hidden alien technology or alien bodies, but then again we can always hope!'

Mr Watson believes some governments hide UFO-related information to protect other secrets.

'Sometimes governments hide information like this to protect operational procedures or protect non-UFO related secrets, like the capabilities of early warning systems or the names and details of witnesses,' he said.

'In this case perhaps they don't want to show they have taken this subject seriously, or that they are as much in the dark as everyone else.'

It was only in 2005 that the British government admitted conducting a thorough scientific study into UFOs, after years of denial.

'It concluded that unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, do exist, but not flying saucers,' Mr Watson said.

'When, or if the German files are released, it will be interesting to see if they come to similar conclusions.

He told MailOnline: 'I doubt it [the information] will be anything related to the recovery of crashed saucers or clandestine meetings with aliens.

Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigation Manual, said: 'Sometimes governments hide information like this to protect operational procedures or protect non-UFO related secrets, like the capabilities of early warning systems or the names and details of witnesses.' A stock image of secret documents is shown

'It looks like much of their material is related to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti) and the implications of alien contact and whether this relates to UFO sightings in Germany.

'Then again there might be some surprises!'

Mr Reitemeyer told the Berlin Court in 2011: 'I want to know facts and it bothers me that in France, England, USA, Canada, the citizens can see the UFO files, and I am not informed as a German from my German government,' The Huffington Post reported.

Mr Watson said the move 'shows that public pressure, and the work of activists, does eventually work to get these UFO 'secrets' released by Governments.

'In Britain, it literally took decades for most of the UFO files to be released.