Der Ultra-vires-Maßstab im Außenverfassungsrecht Skizze sicherer Vollzugszeitumgebungen für zwischenstaatliche und supranationale Integrationsprozesse

The German constitution provides a highly flexible and powerful framework for integration. The domestic legal order can blend in with international and supranational processes of integration, creating patterns (or networks) of polymorphic legal regimes vis-à-vis manifest transnational challenges. The article expands on the security architecture (integrity) as one major non-functional aspect of the German constitution's framework for integration. The author elaborates on two fundamental security architectural components – »program« and »process« of integration – as well as on »runtime« as an important security architectural perspective. In particular at runtime, dynamic processes of integration can amply interfere with domestic law and compromise the integrity of the constitution's framework of integration itself. The author argues that »secure runtime environments« are allocated to dynamic processes of integration, if effective mechanisms delimit critical access to the integrity of the constitution's framework of integration. The ultra-vires pattern provides a generic mechanism for handling access control: the ultravires mechanism checks acts of execution against programs of integration, which are customized by parliamentary law with regard to each process of integration. On these terms the embedded processes of integration cannot change their »secure runtime environments«: establishment and change of runtime environments require parliamentary legislation in accordance with the constitution. Conceptually, the ultra-vires-pattern is located at the core of the parliament's responsibility with regard to integration (Integrationsverantwortung). Practically, it is the most effective security mechanism disposable at runtime.