The key to intelligence reform in Germany

Strengthening the G 10-Commission‘s role to authorise strategic surveillance Many European countries have recently adopted new intelligence laws or are currently reviewing them. Germany is about to follow suit. Amendments to the German intelligence laws are likely to address the practice and oversight of foreign-foreign communications data surveillance and rules for future SIGINT cooperation.

Changes to the German intelligence legislation are clearly in order and ought to be reviewed against the backdrop of substantial SIGINT governance shortcomings that the Bundestag’s “NSA-inquiry” unearthed. The paper reviews the main deficits of the current oversight system for signals intelligence (SIGINT) in Germany and provides recommendations on how to improve and modernize its authorisation, oversight and transparency.