Germany’s Bundestag has passed a fundamental reform of intelligence law, giving the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), additional powers. The 309-190 vote, with 71 abstentions, moves the expansion from a security-policy proposal into a legislative decision. That makes the limits on those powers at least as important as the powers themselves.
Der Spiegel reports that the reform adds tools for telecommunications surveillance and biometric-data matching. Under certain conditions, the BfV will be able to enter homes covertly and act against explosives or weapons. The BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service, will also gain operational powers abroad, including the ability to disable servers used by state hacker groups, according to the report. The CDU/CSU-SPD coalition presents the package as a response to espionage, terrorism, sabotage and hybrid threats.
The reform does not transfer every coercive power to intelligence services. Arrests and overt searches remain police responsibilities. For certain measures, a panel made up of former judges is intended to review legality in advance. Those distinctions are central, not cosmetic. Stronger tools may help Germany respond more independently to foreign threats, but they should not turn intelligence agencies into police bodies operating through secrecy.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called the package a “reform of the century” and rejected claims that it creates a new secret police. Opposition parties argue that it weakens the separation between police and intelligence services. The dispute is substantive: Germany is addressing a stated security threat by widening the state’s capacity for covert intervention.
The parliamentary vote therefore sets a test beyond whether the services become more capable. The test is whether the police boundary and prior legal review can be applied clearly and effectively. The report does not specify when the law will take effect, which measures require prior review, or how review decisions can be challenged. Those details will determine how meaningful the safeguards are in practice.
Sources
- Der Spiegel · Source date: 2026-11-13
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-13