In light of the heightened security climate caused by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) expressed concerns that the Reichstag building in Berlin, with its iconic dome, could become a target for drone attacks.
Klöckner told newspapers of the Funke‑Media group (Saturday editions) that she does not wish to stir panic, but she believes the threat posed by drones is tangible. “Just look at our neighbour Poland” she said. “Every day, a huge number of citizens and visitors come to the Reichstag. Many of them want to visit the dome and the roof terrace”.
The Bundestag is the most-visited parliament in the world, with two million visitors annually. She called for clear rules outlining who possesses the authority and the capability to intercept a drone over the heart of the German capital. Such guidelines do not yet exist. “Imagine this scenario: a drone is launched from Berlin Hauptbahnhof, only a few hundred metres away. In that case the German Federal Police are responsible for defense. If the drone steers toward the Chancellery, the state of Berlin takes responsibility, and directly above the Chancellery the Federal Criminal Police Office. If it heads toward us, again the state of Berlin is in charge”.
Klöckner added that she is in contact with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CDU), who has taken up the issue. “In an emergency situation, decisions must be made immediately” she urged. When asked whether there were concrete attack warnings from security agencies, she declined to comment publicly.
At the same time, she highlighted that the parliament is not only vulnerable from external threats but also from internal ones. A Bundestag Police Act is needed, and the parliamentary parties are already working on it. As president, she heads the approximately 200 police officers who exercise sovereign authority within the parliamentary precincts. “Our police need to receive information from intelligence services about individuals who wish to enter the Bundestag and who have been identified as threats or who have behaved in a constitution‑endangering manner – there is currently no legal basis for this. It is essential to know who enters and exits the Bundestag”.