Germany's government is advancing legislation to grant its intelligence services expanded authorities to combat threats such as sabotage, hacking, and espionage, particularly from foreign powers like Russia and extremist organizations.
The proposed reforms aim to strengthen the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the domestic intelligence agency (BfV), reducing the nation's reliance on intelligence from allied countries.
The powers of German intelligence agencies have historically been more constrained than those in other major European nations, partly due to a strong emphasis on data protection rooted in historical experiences with Nazi repression and the Stasi in East Germany.
"Germany is constantly a target of hybrid attacks by foreign powers and that is a real, very acute danger," stated Nina Warken, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's chief of staff. "We are simply too dependent on the intelligence services of other countries supporting us, and at the moment this help is a one-way street in too many areas."
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the move as developing the intelligence services "into real intelligence services" that are "competitive with our partner services in the European Union, but also with friendly services beyond that."
He further elaborated that Germany is "a daily target of espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks and hidden actions by foreign powers with the aim of destabilizing our country, damaging our country, and bringing about political and social changes in our country."
Expanded Operational Capabilities
Under the proposed legislation, which requires parliamentary approval, intelligence agencies would gain enhanced access to and the ability to store data from devices such as laptops and cellphones. They would also be authorized to take "active measures."
These active measures could include actions such as altering components in deliveries to render them faulty, accessing IT systems of drone factories or chemical weapons laboratories for sabotage, or disabling servers used by hackers or disinformation agents linked to foreign states. Dobrindt also noted the possibility of substituting explosives with harmless substances.
These reforms have been in development for months, with recent events underscoring the perceived risks. Last week, a drone carrying explosives was discovered at Leipzig/Halle airport, a significant hub for international freight and support for Ukraine. The investigation into this incident is ongoing, and no group has been publicly linked to it.
While officials have not explicitly named the foreign powers of concern, Russia's actions have been a consistent point of apprehension for European authorities in recent years.