Deze week o.a.: Duits constitutioneel hof ondervraagt ECB (en)

Berlin - On Tuesday and Wednesday (11-12 June), the German Constitutional court in Karlsruhe will hold public hearings on the legality of the European Central Bank's actions in the euro-crisis.

ECB vice-chief Joerg Asmussen will testify in defence of the actions - particularly an unlimited bond-buying programme which plaintiffs see as direct state support that is not allowed under EU law. The head of the German Central Bank, Jens Weidmann, who has constantly opposed the scheme, will also be present at the hearing.

Meanwhile, the European Parliament will gather in Strasbourg for a debate on Wednesday with EU commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso about the recently published economic to-do lists for EU member states.

That same day, the commission will table a new bill on tax data exchanges, a proposal that was stalled for years by Austria and Luxembourg, and that could help find tax evaders in other EU countries.

Turkey and its handling of anti-government protestors will take centre stage in the European Parliament Wednesday when MEPs discuss the situation with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

The presidents of Slovenia and Portugal will also address the European Parliament on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Asylum rules for handling applications and basic rights for refugees arriving in the EU are to be voted on Wednesday, along with new measures allowing inspectors in the border-free Schengen area to check if national authorities are carrying out illegal border checks between EU member states.

Air traffic control is also on the EU agenda, with the commission tabling proposals on Tuesday to make the sector less fragmented and costly. According to the EU excutive, fragmentation of Europe's airspace brings extra costs of almost €5 billion per year to airlines and their customers. The United States controls the same amount of airspace, with more traffic, at almost half the cost.