European Commission starts legal steps against Germany over ECB ruling

- The European Commission on Wednesday started a legal procedure against Germany, investigating whether a German court broke EU rules by challenging central bank bond purchases already approved by the top EU court.

The Commission, the EU's executive arm, sent a letter to Germany notifying Berlin that it was exploring whether the German court's ruling had violated EU rules, according to a statement.

Such a letter is the first stage in a process that can ultimately lead to the Commission asking the EU's Court of Justice to impose penalties.