Germany is preparing to significantly strengthen its foreign intelligence service amid growing concern that the United States could scale back intelligence sharing with Europe, according to a report by Politico.
The move comes as European leaders fear that U.S. President Donald Trump could either curtail long-standing intelligence cooperation or use Europe’s reliance on American data as political leverage.
In Berlin, officials argue that just as Europe must reinforce its military capabilities to gain greater strategic autonomy, it must also bolster its intelligence capacity. Germany’s foreign intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), is currently subject to stricter legal limits than many of its counterparts — restrictions rooted in post-World War II safeguards designed to prevent abuses reminiscent of the Nazi era.
However, those legal constraints have left Germany heavily dependent on U.S. intelligence. Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the Bundestag committee overseeing Germany’s intelligence services, told Politico that Berlin wants to maintain close ties with Washington but must prepare for any future shift in U.S. policy.
“If a president decides in the future to go it alone without the Europeans, then we must be able to stand on our own two feet,” he said.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is now pushing to grant the BND broader powers, including authority to conduct sabotage operations, offensive cyber activity and expanded espionage, as Germany seeks greater strategic independence.
via Politico
