The Federal Criminal Police Office’s (BKA) security detail is set to receive a new fleet of armored BMW sedans, a procurement decision already drawing scrutiny and raising questions about potential preferential treatment for the Bavarian automaker. According to a report in “Der Spiegel”, sourced from the CSU-led Federal Interior Ministry, the government and the Federal President will be protected by specially armored BMW 7er Protection vehicles.
The timing and exclusivity of the contract are generating considerable political unease. Just weeks ago, the governing coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) pushed through a parliamentary motion allocating an additional five million euros for armored vehicles within the current fiscal year. The procurement was exclusively limited to BMW, effectively excluding other established automotive manufacturers like Mercedes and Audi, who have previously supplied the BKA with similar protection.
The Interior Ministry is attempting to deflect accusations of a localized economic stimulus package favoring BMW. Officials claim the purchase was initiated as early as March, prior to the recent governmental transition. Furthermore, a “product-neutral tender” was deemed unfeasible due to “tactical operational reasons necessitating a predefined product specification.
However, under questioning from “Der Spiegel”, the Ministry conceded that “several manufacturers of specially protected vehicles were contacted throughout the procurement process”. This admission contradicts earlier assertions and strengthens suggestions of a predetermined outcome favoring BMW.
The Ministry intends to deliver the combustion-engine BMW 7er Protection vehicles “later this year”. The BKA’s security detail is responsible for safeguarding key figures including the Federal President, Chancellor and their ministers, highlighting the crucial and increasingly politicized, nature of this security upgrade. The lack of transparency and the circumvention of standard procurement procedures are likely to invite further parliamentary debate and calls for a review of the entire process.
