Germany beefs up its intelligence services as threat from 'foreign powers' rises

BERLIN -- Germany’s government plans to give its intelligence services broader powers for actions such as disabling sabotage and hacking attempts in response to a rising threat from powers such as Russia and extremists.The Cabinet on Wednesday approved draft legislation meant to strengthen Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, the BND, and its domestic intelligence service, the BfV, and reduce the reliance of the European Union's most populous nation on tips from its allies.The powers of Germany's intelligence services have long lagged behind those of major European counterparts. Modern Germany has traditionally been sensitive to data protection concerns, not least because of memories of repression under the Nazis and later by communist East Germany's secret police. “Nowadays, Germany is constantly a target of hybrid attacks by foreign powers and that is a real, very acute danger,” said Nina Warken, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's chief of staff. “We are simply too dependent on the intelligence services of other countries supporting us, and at the moment this help is a one-way street in too many areas.”Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said “we are developing our intelligence serv...