German parliament backs wider powers for intelligence agencies

Germany’s Bundestag approved a reform of the country’s intelligence laws on 13 November, giving its foreign and domestic agencies broader powers to intervene against threats rather than only gather information.

The changes cover the foreign intelligence service, the BND, and the domestic security agency, the BfV. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defended the reform by pointing to threats including espionage, sabotage and cyberattacks.

The government says the BND will be able to act in narrowly defined situations, including against threats from foreign powers. Nina Warken, the minister responsible for the BND, gave the example of disabling servers used by a state-backed hacking group stealing data in Germany.

The BfV will also gain intervention powers. The government says these will involve covert action without the use of force against people. Parliament’s account of the reform says oversight will be consolidated under an independent supervisory body, which will take on prior checks of intelligence orders and data-protection oversight.

Green politician Konstantin von Notz supported changes to the BND but criticised the domestic provisions. He said the boundary between the BfV’s powers and those of the police remained unclear, and that transparency and legal protection for affected people were inadequate. The Greens abstained in the final vote on the overall bill.