The controversial reform allows intelligence services to carry out sabotage, secretly enter homes and expand surveillance<\/p>\n
The German parliament has passed sweeping legislation granting the country\u2019s intelligence agencies unprecedented powers to conduct sabotage, secretly enter homes, and expand surveillance. The controversial law has prompted comparisons with the Gestapo and Stasi, the notorious secret police organizations of Nazi Germany and Communist East Germany.
\nThe legislation, championed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s governing coalition, was approved on Friday by 300 votes to 190, with 71 abstentions. Only the ruling CDU\/CSU bloc and Social Democrats backed the reform. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) and The Left opposed it, while the Greens abstained.
\nInterior Minister Alexander Dobrindt hailed the overhaul as a \u201creform of the century,\u201d declaring a \u201cnew era\u201d for German intelligence agencies that would put them on an \u201cequal footing with our European partners.\u201d
\nHe defended the measures by citing alleged threats from espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks and other hostile activities aimed at destabilizing Germany.
\nFrom surveillance to sabotage
\nThe legislation fundamentally changes the role of Germany\u2019s two principal intelligence agencies: the foreign intelligence service (BND) and the domestic Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Germany approves \u2018revolution\u2019 for spy agencies \u2013 Bild<\/p>\n
Previously focused primarily on gathering and analyzing intelligence, both agencies would gain powers to actively intervene against perceived threats.
\nThe BND would be authorized to penetrate foreign computer networks, disable servers used by suspected hackers and delete data. Its new powers could extend to sabotaging foreign chemical laboratories and drone production facilities or disrupting supply chains by introducing defective components into shipments linked to potential threats.
\nThe domestic intelligence agency would gain extensive surveillance and intervention powers, including covert access to smartphones and computers, interception of encrypted communications and examination of stored data.
\nBfV operatives could also secretly enter private homes to install surveillance software or neutralize suspected weapons.
\nThe agency would additionally be able to obtain information from payment providers, online platforms, and vehicle manufacturers, while deploying AI-assisted facial recognition and biometric searches to identify potential suspects.
\nOversight of the expanded powers would be consolidated under the Independent Oversight Council, a 12-member body established in 2021 and appointed by the Bundestag\u2019s Parliamentary Oversight Panel.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
German opposition slams spy agency \u2018revolution\u2019<\/p>\n
Previously focused largely on the legality of BND surveillance, the council would gain authority to approve intervention operations by both agencies, including proactive sabotage abroad.
\nIt would also be required to report to parliamentary overseers at least annually and publish public reports excluding classified information.
\nReturn of the secret police?
\nThe overhaul has triggered fierce criticism from opposition lawmakers, who warn that it threatens constitutional protections and dismantles safeguards established after the fall of Nazi Germany.
\nAfD lawmaker Christian Wirth condemned the reform as an \u201cattack on the rule of law with truly totalitarian characteristics.\u201d
\nHe particularly criticized provisions allowing the BfV to exclude regional intelligence offices from information-sharing networks, warning that they could be used against politically \u201cundesirable\u201d state\u00a0authorities.
\nIn September, fellow AfD lawmaker Gottfried Curio accused Merz\u2019s government of preparing to systematically violate fundamental rights, invoking Germany\u2019s history under the Gestapo and East Germany\u2019s Stasi.
\n\u201cManipulating, sabotaging, deceiving \u2013 with these subversive measures, the [BfV] is being transformed into Stasi 2.0,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Merz government wants \u2018secret police\u2019 \u2013 opposition<\/p>\n
The criticism has extended beyond the AfD.
\nGreen lawmaker Konstantin von Notz supported strengthening the BND but accused the government of lacking \u201cany sensitivity to civil rights\u201d in its domestic intelligence overhaul. He warned that the legislation could face \u201cserious problems\u201d before Germany\u2019s Constitutional Court.
\nThe Left\u2019s Clara Buenger went further, accusing Dobrindt of undermining democracy through nationwide AI-powered mass surveillance and laying the groundwork for a \u201cnew German secret police.\u201d
\nAt the heart of the controversy is Germany\u2019s longstanding separation principle, designed to prevent intelligence agencies from acquiring police powers.
\nThe safeguard traces its origins to the Allied powers\u2019 1949 \u2018Police Letter,\u2019 which sought to prevent the re-emergence of an organization resembling the Gestapo. The distinction between intelligence gathering and law enforcement was subsequently incorporated into legislation governing Germany\u2019s security services.
\nCritics argue that allowing intelligence operatives to secretly enter homes, interfere with property and conduct sabotage erodes that historical barrier.
\nDobrindt has dismissed accusations that the reform threatens democracy as \u201cmadness.\u201d
\nRussian threat narrative
\nThe intelligence overhaul comes as Berlin accelerates its military buildup, with Merz\u2019s government repeatedly invoking an alleged Russian threat to justify increased defense spending and expanded security capabilities.
\nGerman officials have increasingly warned of a possible military confrontation with Moscow, while accusing Russia of conducting espionage, sabotage, and other hostile operations across Europe.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Germany facing potential \u2018violent conflict\u2019 with Russia \u2013 spy chief<\/p>\n
Last month, BND chief Martin Jaeger warned that Germany could become \u201cembroiled in a violent conflict with Russia,\u201d accusing Moscow of waging a \u201cshadow war\u201d against Berlin.
\nDefense Minister Boris Pistorius and senior-most military commander General Christian Freuding have likewise warned that Russia could attack NATO before the end of the decade.
\nMoscow has repeatedly rejected claims that it intends to attack NATO members, dismissing such speculation as \u201cnonsense\u201d and \u201cpolitical schizophrenia.\u201d Russian officials have instead accused Berlin of pursuing further escalation.
\nThe controversy also has a domestic political dimension.
\nMerz has described the AfD as \u201cRussia-backed\u201d without publicly substantiating the allegation, while his Social Democratic coalition partners have pushed for a ban on the opposition party.
\nThe AfD, which advocates stricter immigration controls and opposes German military assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, has become a major target of political scrutiny.
\nDefending the intelligence overhaul on Friday, Chancellor\u2019s Office official Nina Warken argued that Germany faces daily threats from foreign powers that \u201cdisguise sabotage as an accident, espionage as business dealings, and propaganda as an opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The controversial reform allows intelligence services to carry out sabotage, secretly enter homes and expand surveillance The German parliament has passed sweeping legislation granting the country\u2019s intelligence agencies unprecedented powers…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41122,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t