Germany expands intelligence agencies' powers to counter hybrid threats
The German government has approved a legislative package of more than 700 pages that grants broader powers to both the domestic and foreign intelligence services. Officials say the goal is to help the agencies respond more effectively to hybrid threats.
The German government has approved an extensive legislative package that significantly expands the powers of both the domestic intelligence service (BfV) and the foreign intelligence service (BND). The document runs to more than 700 pages.
Purpose of the reform
According to the government, the main aim of the changes is to allow the intelligence agencies to operate more effectively in the face of numerous hybrid threats. Hybrid threats generally refer to combined methods of influence that merge cyberattacks, disinformation, sabotage and other non-traditional actions that are difficult to attribute clearly to a specific state or group.
The granting of new powers suggests that the German government views the current legal framework governing the intelligence services as insufficient for timely identification and prevention of such threats.
The source report does not provide detailed information on the specific new powers, the timeline for the law entering into force, or whether the package still requires parliamentary approval.
