Germany Expands Intelligence Agency Powers, Opposition Warns

The German cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft law in Berlin to significantly expand the powers of the country’s intelligence services. The reform, which still requires parliamentary approval, is expected to pass with the support of the ruling coalition of conservatives (CDU/CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD) when the Bundestag returns from its summer recess in early September.

Officially called intelligence services, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) and the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) are essentially secret agencies: one monitors domestic threats, the other looks abroad. Both have long felt their powers are restricted compared to allied services like the CIA or Mossad. Under current German law, their primary function is limited to gathering information, but the government now wants to change that swiftly.

Considered the largest reform since the end of World War II, the new powers, expected to take effect in early 2027, will go far beyond current limits. The BND will be authorised to conduct sabotage operations abroad during periods of tension or defence. Both foreign and domestic services will gain the ability to manipulate or delete data. The domestic intelligence agency will also be permitted to enter homes without a judicial warrant, a power not even granted to the police.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the changes as creating a more robust security architecture, stating that sabotage, espionage, and cyber attacks require new responses. The services will receive operational capabilities to counter modern state terrorism and extremist violence.

However, the draft law has drawn sharp criticism. The Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF), a civil liberties organisation, argues that parts of the 700-page bill are unconstitutional. Expert Kai Dittmann highlighted problematic provisions, including broad powers for domestic intelligence to access private and public video surveillance in real time, and the use of biometric data matching with internet images to train artificial intelligence. He warned that such deep interventions could affect countless innocent people without adequate legal boundaries.

Critics also fear the reform blurs constitutional lines between intelligence, police, and the military, as the BND will be allowed to operate domestically and conduct active cyber operations. The GFF further warned that oversight is being weakened, as the government plans to centralise control under a new Independent Control Council while stripping the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection of supervisory powers over intelligence activities.

Clara Bünger, a domestic policy expert for the opposition Left Party, said the changes mean intelligence services will no longer be required to inform those affected in many cases, removing effective legal protection. She vowed to oppose what she called a shift towards an authoritarian state, declaring that a secret police must never exist again in Germany. The opposition Green Party offered mixed views, with intelligence expert Konstantin von Notz calling the reform urgently needed and supporting greater BND powers.