In the face of planned Chinese wind turbine construction off the North Sea island of Borkum, German Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) has called for a strict review and potentially a ban on critical components from China in the energy supply. “We must reduce security risks, including espionage and sabotage, to the minimum” Faeser told the “Rheinische Post” (Tuesday edition).
Unlike in the past, one-sided dependencies must be avoided. This has been clearly anchored in the National Security Strategy. “With our decision to no longer allow the use of certain critical components in 5G communication networks, we have implemented this. We must protect the central nervous systems of the German business location” the SPD politician said.
“That is why we need regulations for the energy supply, just like for the 5G networks. We must also avoid security risks by strictly reviewing and, if necessary, prohibiting critical components” Faeser said.
With the draft laws on the protection of critical infrastructure and the strengthening of cyber security, the government has proposed regulations that increase protection. “This remains on the agenda for the next federal government. These draft laws should be quickly reintroduced to the Bundestag, debated and passed. Germany is also under an obligation to implement EU law” Faeser added.