Germany should be allowed to hold referendums on major European policy decisions that involve transferring powers to Brussels or committing money at EU level, German coalition negotiators have proposed in what would be a dramatic shift in policy.

The proposal was spelled out in a document put together by one of the working groups negotiating policy compromises to enable a coalition government between Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).

It has not yet been approved by a larger coalition panel led by Dr Merkel, meaning it may never see the light of day.

But it points to unease among some parties, notably Dr Merkel’s allies in the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), with the transfer of competencies to the European Union and use of German money to support struggling partners during the euro crisis.

“The population should be asked directly on European policy decisions of special importance,” reads the document, produced by a working group on domestic policy led by interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich of the CSU and Thomas Oppermann of the SPD.

“This would apply in particular when new member states are added, when important powers are to be transferred to Brussels, or when German finances are committed at EU level. For such decisions we want to pave the way for nationwide referendums.”

Asked about the proposal today in Berlin, SPD General Secretary Andrea Nahles confirmed that her party supported it, but said she was unsure whether there was a consensus within Dr Merkel’s conservative bloc.

Germany’s post-war constitution sets extremely high hurdles for nationwide referendums, which helped Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. German citizens had no direct say on the decision to replace the deutsche Mark with the euro or on German reunification in 1990.

At the height of the euro crisis in early 2012, when Germany’s Constitutional Court was setting limits on the transfer of sovereignty to Europe, there was a vigorous debate about changing Germany’s “Basic Law” to allow for more direct democracy.

But that debate has faded somewhat as the crisis has eased, and the issue did not play a significant role during the recent election campaign.

Reuters