The Bundestag on Thursday held its first debate on the federal government’s plans for a comprehensive reform of Germany’s intelligence services. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) told lawmakers that the reform would turn Germany’s intelligence services into “real intelligence services.” This marked “the beginning of a new era,” he said. Instead of merely gathering information about threats, the services would be able to carry out “real action to counter dangers, attacks and terrorism.”
The government’s plans would significantly expand the powers of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), which is responsible for foreign intelligence, and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) to collect, store and automatically analyse data. The services would also be given the ability to actively combat threats such as acts of sabotage and hacker attacks through counterattacks in the future.
Nina Warken (CDU), the minister in the Chancellery responsible for intelligence services, told parliament that Germany could no longer rely on “our security being guaranteed by our partners” given the increasingly serious threat situation. In addition to greater powers to gather intelligence, she said the services would therefore need the ability to take action against ongoing cyberattacks. For example, they should be able to shut down servers operated by state-backed hacker groups through active countermeasures.
AfD lawmaker Gottfried Curio accused the government of transforming the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution into “Stasi 2.0”, which he said would be able to secretly enter homes and comprehensively monitor citizens without their knowledge. He described the reform as a “coup against the rule of law” and said it was “more than a total surveillance state.”
Green lawmaker Konstantin von Notz expressed general support for an “update” of the Federal Intelligence Service’s powers against the backdrop of the growing threat from Russia. However, he said the government’s “excessive plans for intelligence activities inside Germany” must be “rolled back” so that the reform would not fail before the Federal Constitutional Court.
Among other things, the government would need to take much greater account of the interests of people bound by professional confidentiality, particularly psychotherapists, he said.
Left Party lawmaker Clara Bünger accused the government of abolishing the “historic separation requirement” between intelligence services and police powers, which she said was a lesson “from the crimes of the German fascists.” Under the government’s plans, she said, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution would instead become “a new German secret police.” She also criticised the fact that the reform would place “no limits” on interventions involving doctors or psychotherapists.
Bünger warned of an “uncontrolled state apparatus” that would already pose a major danger in the hands of the current government. At the same time, she said the government was handing a possible future AfD government “this security appa
From breaking news to thought-provoking opinion pieces, our newsletter keeps you informed & engaged.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
