German opposition parties warn over government plans to reform intelligence agencies

German opposition parties on Wednesday warned against government plans to reform the country’s intelligence agencies, saying the proposed changes could violate the constitution and pave the way for the creation of a “secret police.”

While the opposition Greens share the government’s view that intelligence agencies should be granted additional powers in light of new threats, they are calling for “significant amendments” to the draft law.

The Left Party, meanwhile, is fundamentally opposed to expanding the agencies’ operational powers.

Its deputy parliamentary group leader Clara Buenger warned that the federal government’s plans would erode the principle of separation between intelligence agencies and the police — a principle established in response to the experiences of the Nazi era.

“A new German secret police force with operational powers is a massive source of insecurity that will, moreover, be largely exempt from judicial oversight,” the domestic policy expert told daily Frankfurter Rundschau.

Konstantin von Notz, deputy leader of the Green Party parliamentary group and chair of the Bundestag’s Parliamentary Oversight Committee, also raised objections to specific powers included in the proposed reform.

German intelligence agencies play a central role in countering threats and therefore need “modern legal frameworks that are in accordance with the constitution,” he said.

However, von Notz argued that the proposed bill does not actually grant them these powers.

He said it serves no one’s interests to give intelligence agencies unconstitutional tools “that the highest courts will predictably strip from them in no time.”

The draft law would reportedly allow German intelligence agencies to disrupt ongoing operations by terrorists, saboteurs or foreign agents, redirect data traffic and specifically interfere with technical systems.

They could also be authorized to render means of attack harmless or replace bombs intended for attacks with nonfunctional replicas.

The agencies would also receive new digital tools, allowing them to infiltrate computers and smartphones, conduct online searches and gain broader access to communications and video data.