BERLIN — Germany's cabinet approved a landmark intelligence reform bill on Wednesday, granting the country's spy agencies unprecedented active powers after Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt previewed the legislation earlier this week.
The legislation, described as the most significant intelligence overhaul since World War II, allows the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to infiltrate and disable attackers' computer systems and conduct counter-attacks. The Federal Intelligence Service gains authority to operate domestically to ward off threats and enter homes without judicial warrants.
Dobrindt said Germany is developing its agencies into "true intelligence services". Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil chaired the session as Chancellor Friedrich Merz was on holiday. Opposition parties condemned the move, with FDP leader Wolfgang Kubicki calling it a "historic taboo breach" and Left party lawmaker Clara Bünger warning it abolishes the post-war separation of police and intelligence.