A €420 Million Constitutional Fiasco Dressed Up as Progress in Kirchberg

After months of legal deadlock, the Council of State has finally lifted its formal opposition to the European Stability Mechanism campus project in Kirchberg. The government revised its financing approach. The breakdown of costs is now itemized. The bill can move forward. But let us be clear about what actually happened before anyone starts celebrating. In December 2025, the Council of State ruled that the government’s plan to lump €420 million into a single financing package was unconstitutional. The government had violated Article 117(3) of the Constitution, which requires separate legislative authorization for each major project with significant financial commitments. This was not a technicality. It was a fundamental failure to follow the most basic rules of public finance. And now, after being caught, the government has done what it should have done from the start: itemized the costs. What is being framed as a decisive stage in a complex project is in reality an embarrassment dressed up as progress. The only reason the Council of State lifted its opposition is because the government finally stopped trying to hide the numbers. From Tenant to Owner With No Questions Asked The official rationale is dutifully repeated. The ESM currently rents. The [...]

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