Four German professors have filed a petition at the country's highest court in an attempt to delay the introduction of the euro, the single European Union currency planned to start on January 1, 1999.

The academics - one lawyer and three economists - filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.

They say the currency union is bound to fail because Germany and other prospective members cannot meet strict fiscal requirements, such as debt reduction, agreed to in the EU's Maastricht Treaty.

Germany's large exporters will be watching this latest court case closely

Karl-Albrecht Schachtschneider, a constitutional law expert with the group, claims the debt of EU countries hoping to join the euro has risen by "an average of 20%" since the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992.

In a newspaper article at the weekend, he said his country's debt will continue to be burdened "for decades" to pay for reunification with eastern Germany, where the economy lags far behind that of the western states.

"Today we know that the monetary union has no chance," Mr Schachtschneider said.

Many Germans fear replacing the strong mark will water down the value of their money. But Chancellor Helmut Kohl's government insists the euro will be as stable as the mark.

The main debate has centred on countries' ability to meet the Maastricht Treaty target which limits budget deficits to 3% of gross domestic product.

Former Bundesbank governor Wilhelm Noelling: "Too much is at stake if conditions are not right"

In 1993, the Constitutional Court ruled the criteria laid down for participating in the euro single currency cannot be softened.

Most of the would-be participants, including Germany, have battled to meet the target, using speeded-up privatisations, pension fund transfers and other manoeuvres to raise money.

"It is clear there have been one-off efforts, or what the English call window-dressing,to meet the criteria," said one of the plaintiffs, University of Tuebingen economics professor Joachim Starbatty.

"That which the treaty demands - a sustainable fiscal situation - hasn't been achieved," he said.

The court has no deadline for deciding whether to accept the case and a BBC correspondent says no judgment is expected until the spring. However, a quick decision would be needed to stop the single currency process.

BBC correspondents say legal experts give the petition only a slim chance of success.

EU governments will make the final decision on which countries qualify for inaugural membership on May 2, based on 1997 economic data. Most economists now see a large group of around 11 countries joining the euro at its launch.

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