Europe Delays Debt Talks After Signs of Uncertain Support - by Jack Ewing, Stephen Castle and Melissa Eddy.

Domestic politics in euro zone countries emerged again on Tuesday as a serious obstacle to resolving the European debt crisis, contributing to a decision by officials to postpone a crucial meeting they had planned for Friday. The setbacks illustrated again how hard it has been to reconcile impatient financial markets with democratic processes.

Ireland said it would hold a referendum on an agreement to impose fiscal discipline on members of the euro zone. The prospect of more political turmoil seemed to unsettle investors, even though the country’s approval is not needed for the accord to take effect. Irish voters have a history of rejecting European Union measures at the polls; the euro dropped after the news before recovering. 

In Germany, the constitutional court issued a ruling on Tuesday that was likely to slow parliamentary approval of emergency measures in response to the debt crisis. The ruling came a day after members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party rebelled against helping to pay for the latest plan to rescue Greece. 

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