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German Bundestag passes intelligence reform granting agencies expanded powers against hybrid threats
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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.
Source report
Image caption: In future, German spies working for the BND foreign intelligence service will be able to conduct covert operations abroad
By Bethany Bell, Germany reporter
Germany's foreign and domestic intelligence services are to be given greater powers to combat espionage, terrorism and sabotage after the country's parliament, the Bundestag, approved a major overhaul of its legislation.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who championed the bill, has called it a "reform of the century", necessary because of the increasing threats from foreign powers.
But the Left Party's security spokeswoman, Clara Bünger, said Dobrindt was creating a new German secret police.
New Powers for BND and BfV
The legislation gives numerous new powers to Germany's BND federal intelligence service, and its BfV domestic service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
In the Bundestag, 309 MPs voted in favour of the new law on intelligence services, while 190 voted against and 71 abstained.
For historical reasons, German intelligence has mainly focused on gathering information rather than acting on it.
Foreign Intelligence (BND)
In future, German spies working for the BND, which is responsible for foreign intelligence, will be able to conduct covert operations abroad, including sabotage.
This could include paralysing the servers of state-sponsored hacker groups, disrupting disinformation networks, or even disrupting supply chains for weapons.
Domestic Intelligence (BfV)
Agents for the domestic intelligence service, the BfV, will no longer be limited to gathering information. For the first time they will be able to take protective action against property and IT systems, if specific threats are identified.
That means they will be allowed to:
- Dismantle or break explosives or weapons
- Divert or block data flows during cyber-attacks
- Delete or falsify data stored for malicious purposes
- Plant false information on those involved
Under certain conditions, BfV agents will also be permitted to enter homes covertly. However, the measure must always be authorised in advance.
They will also be given wider powers of digital surveillance, including monitoring encrypted telecommunications and carrying out online searches. They will also be allowed to use AI-supported data analysis and biometric image matching on the internet.
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Rationale for the Reform
The government says the reform is needed because of an increase in foreign espionage, particularly from Russia, China and Iran.
"We are the target of hybrid threats," said Dobrindt. "Germany is a theatre of operations for terrorism, extremism and foreign powers."
In August, a drone carrying an explosive device was discovered at Leipzig Airport, close to Ukrainian cargo planes. However, it failed to explode as the bomb's detonator was apparently faulty.
German authorities say Russia was behind the attack.
Criticism and Support
The new law has been bitterly criticised by some opposition politicians, even though Dobrindt has said it is "madness" to think it means that Germany is creating a new secret police.
Clara Bünger from the Left Party told public broadcaster ARD that the new law was "a monster… summoning ghosts that we will probably never be able to get rid of".
The separation between the police and the secret service, she warned, was "being eroded" — and Bünger said that had been a lesson learned from the Nazi era.
"This means the secret service is being granted executive powers and will not only be allowed to act pre-emptively, but will also be granted police powers."
However, Sonja Eichwede of the centre-left SPD, which is part of Germany's governing coalition, said the reforms would make a significant contribution to ensuring the country's democracy was "robust and resilient".
Related Topics
- Germany
- Spying
Source
BBC NewsWestern
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German Bundestag passes intelligence reform granting BND and BfV new operational powers