Germany spy reforms clear cabinet, expand covert powers

The German government signed off on a major intelligence overhaul on Wednesday that would give its spy agencies wider powers to conduct covert operations and act against foreign threats.

The reforms still need parliamentary approval before they can take effect early next year. They would loosen limits that have largely confined Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency and BfV domestic spy service to gathering information.

The package would allow non-lethal operations such as hacking enemy servers or conducting sabotage. It could also permit cyber operations including disabling foreign IT systems used by hostile actors or blocking payment flows.

Assassinations and other lethal operations would remain banned. In rare cases, the BND could receive permission to carry out foreign sabotage missions.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Germany was entering a “new era” for its secret services and was “catching up with what is possible in other European countries”. He said the reforms would transform Germany's intelligence agencies into “genuine secret services”.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition argues that stronger intelligence powers are needed to counter hostile foreign powers, terrorist groups and cybercriminals. German officials accuse Moscow of waging a hybrid campaign of sabotage, espionage and disinformation against Germany, a major supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Marc Henrichmann, chairman of parliament's intelligence oversight committee, told AFP that Germany was in a hybrid conflict with Russia and other actors. He said Germany's cautious approach had left it “behind the curve” and less able to contribute to European security.

The package would also expand powers to collect and analyse data, including permission for the BND and BfV to use artificial intelligence to scan large datasets and retain some data for longer. It also regulates online surveillance and tracking powers.

Peter Neumann, a professor of security studies at King's College London, told AFP that German intelligence services had long been more restricted than many European counterparts. Greens MP Konstantin von Notz said stronger powers were broadly appropriate in the current security climate, while the Society for Civil Rights warned that the new digital surveillance powers would deeply infringe on fundamental rights.