Germany's constitutional court said on Thursday it will need time to study the eurozone's permanent bailout mechanism after its expected approval in the German parliament next Friday, which could delay its scheduled start date on July 1.

Angela Merkel's government and the centre-left opposition reached a deal on economic growth measures on Thursday which should enable parliament to ratify Merkel's fiscal pact and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) on June 29.

The ESM cannot come into effect without ratification by Germany, the biggest economy in the euro zone. But a spokeswoman for the top court said the ESM is so complex it expects head of state Joachim Gauck to delay his signature of the text approved by parliament until the court has had time to study it.

[Reuters]