In a decisive move to bolster national security, the German parliament is set to enact sweeping legislation on Thursday mandating enhanced protection for critical infrastructure. This action comes as escalating geopolitical tensions with Russia amplify fears of sabotage, hybrid attacks, and systemic vulnerabilities.
The comprehensive security package, designed to align with EU directives, will impose stringent new requirements on approximately 1,700 essential service providers. These entities—spanning energy, water, food supply, healthcare, transport, IT, telecommunications, finance, and waste management—must now implement rigorous physical security upgrades, enhance alarm systems, conduct frequent risk analyses, and report incidents without delay. Facilities serving over 500,000 people fall under the new mandate.
The impetus for this legislative overhaul was starkly illustrated by a recent far-left militant arson attack on a Berlin power cable. The assault, which plunged tens of thousands into darkness for nearly a week and crippled mobile networks, heating, and transit, exposed critical gaps in the nation’s defensive preparedness. In response, the government has issued a €1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized the necessity of shifting from transparency toward resilience, noting that sensitive data—such as publicly accessible grid maps—must be safeguarded to prevent exploitation by malicious actors.
While many security experts endorse the bill in principle, opposition figures like Greens MP Konstantin von Notz criticize it as ‘wholly inadequate,’ ‘poorly crafted,’ and dangerously delayed. Business associations have also raised concerns over potentially burdensome compliance duties and significant financial penalties.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius highlighted the broader context of hybrid threats facing Europe, including cyberattacks, espionage, disinformation campaigns, and physical disruptions like the severing of Baltic Sea data cables. He warned that such threats directly impact private industry and supply chains, underscoring the need for robust civil defense.
Experts like Daniel Hiller of the Fraunhofer Institute argue that complete invulnerability is unattainable; instead, redundancy, contingency planning, and system resilience are paramount. Sabrina Schulz of the European Initiative for Energy Security echoed this, stating that fortifying infrastructure is ‘at least as important as tanks and drones’ in contemporary defense strategy.