German Bundestag passes intelligence reform granting BND and BfV new operational powers
Germany's Bundestag approved a sweeping reform of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) by a vote of 309 in favor, 190 against and 71 abstentions. The law grants the BND operational powers abroad, including disrupting foreign state hackers' servers, and lets the BfV take protective measures against terrorism and espionage, including covert entry into homes and expanded digital surveillance. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called it a "reform of the century"; the AfD and Left warned of a "secret police," while the Greens abstained.
Reference imageEditorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page reads the event directly, while its address stays stable when the title changes.
- Summary covers the current reports
Cross-source coverage
Reporting timeline
German Bundestag passes 'century reform' expanding BND and domestic spy agency powers
The German Bundestag on Friday approved a reform of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, with CDU/CSU and SPD voting in favor, AfD and the Left against, and the Greens abstaining. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) called it a 'century reform' turning intelligence services into genuine secret services. The BND would gain 'operative' powers, such as disabling foreign state hackers' computers, while the domestic agency could conduct operational 'protective measures' against terrorism and espionage. Intelligence oversight would be consolidated in an Independent Control Council, expanded from six to twelve members after 97 pages of late amendments; doctors, psychotherapists, and AI communications would receive added protections. The final vote was 309 in favor, 190 against, 71 abstentions. AfD and Left lawmakers warned of a new 'secret police,' and the Greens said the domestic powers would fail at the Constitutional Court; the coalition countered that police-intelligence separation is preserved and controls are the strongest ever.
Read sourceGerman parliament grants intelligence services expanded powers against hybrid threats
Germany's Bundestag approved a major overhaul of intelligence legislation, granting the BND foreign service and BfV domestic service greater powers to combat espionage, terrorism and sabotage. The law passed with 309 votes in favour, 190 against and 71 abstentions. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who championed the bill, called it a 'reform of the century' and said Germany is 'the target of hybrid threats' from Russia, China and Iran. Under the new rules, BND agents may conduct covert operations abroad, including sabotage such as paralysing hacker group servers or disrupting weapons supply chains. BfV agents gain powers to take protective action against property and IT systems, including blocking data flows during cyber-attacks, deleting or falsifying malicious data, and planting false information. With prior authorisation, they may enter homes covertly and conduct wider digital surveillance, including encrypted communications monitoring, online searches, AI-supported data analysis and biometric image matching. Left Party spokeswoman Clara Bünger criticised the law as creating a new secret police and eroding the separation between police and intelligence services.
Klöckner Reprimands AfD's Weidel During Bundestag Intelligence Reform Debate
The German Bundestag passed a reform of intelligence law granting expanded powers to the BND and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, with 309 votes in favor, 190 against, and 71 abstentions. During the debate, SPD lawmaker Ralf Stegner criticized AfD politician Alexander Wolf, calling his remarks 'great nonsense.' When AfD leader Alice Weidel interjected, Bundestagspräsidentin Julia Klöckner (CDU) issued her a formal Ordnungsruf, saying: 'Frau Weidel, you meant I was making a fool of myself? I hereby issue you a reprimand.' The reform expands surveillance and biometric data powers, allows the Verfassungsschutz limited covert operational measures, and lets the BND disrupt foreign state hacker servers, with prior judicial review by a panel of former judges. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) defended it as a 'reform of the century' against hybrid threats, while the opposition warned it blurs the line between police and intelligence services.
Read sourceShow 2 older updatesHide older updates
German Bundestag Passes Landmark Intelligence Reform Expanding BND and Verfassungsschutz Powers
The Bundestag approved a sweeping reform granting Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) new powers amid threats from Russia. Under the package passed Friday, the agencies may act covertly and actively against attackers in special danger situations, rather than only gathering information. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) called it a "reform of the century," saying "intelligence services become real secret services" and that measures are needed "against the enemies of democracy." The BfV may also restrict cooperation with individual state offices following the AfD's election win in Saxony-Anhalt. Tools include cyberattacks to disrupt attacker infrastructure, redirecting data traffic, deleting stored data, and spreading disinformation, with police priority for Verfassungsschutz actions; minors may be recruited in individual cases. Greens' Konstantin von Notz backed the BND reform but rejected the Verfassungsschutz law, while AfD and Linke criticized the expanded powers as excessive.
Read sourceGerman Coalition Expands BND and Domestic Intelligence Powers
Germany's black-red coalition is set to pass a major intelligence reform in the Bundestag on Friday, granting the foreign intelligence service BND and the domestic Verfassungsschutz new active powers. The BND would be able to conduct sabotage abroad and so-called hackbacks against cyberattacks, while the Verfassungsschutz would gain new intervention powers, including covert entry into homes to tap computers, plus expanded AI-supported analysis and digital surveillance. This breaks with Germany's postwar separation principle that reserved such powers for police. The coalition added a 'resilience clause' allowing limits on cooperation with state offices if security interests are endangered, and strengthened the Independent Control Council. Critics, including Franziska Görlitz of the Society for Civil Rights, cite serious constitutional concerns over biometric data matching, AI analysis and AI training, and argue the operational powers are too broad. The Greens plan to abstain; the Left called it a new 'German secret police.'