Following the revocation of building passes for several employees linked to members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group, Green Party security expert Konstantin von Notz is advocating for expanded powers for the Bundestag administration and the Bundestag police force.
Von Notz, in statements to the Funke-Mediengruppe newspapers, emphasized the need to significantly bolster the resilience of the German Parliament. He highlighted a current limitation, noting that the administration presently lacks the ability to utilize intelligence-based information in security assessments. “It is crucial that a reformed Bundestag Police Act, which would enable this possibility, is finally implemented swiftly” he asserted.
The security measures, which included the denial of building passes and restricted access to IT systems, were taken concerning employees of parliamentary members. According to a statement released by the Bundestag administration, the decisions were based on the assessment that the issuance of building passes to the denied applicants “could potentially be abused for anti-constitutional purposes” within the parliamentary buildings.
The administration’s communication did not specify the political affiliations of the affected parliamentary members or provide a number of cases involved. Reports from multiple media outlets suggest the measures pertain exclusively to employees working for AfD parliamentarians.
