The German Bundestag is facing renewed calls for enhanced security measures and legislative reforms following the revocation of building passes for several staff members associated with members of parliament. Konstantin von Notz, a security policy expert for the Green Party, is advocating for increased authority granted to the Bundestag administration and the Bundestag police force.
The recent actions, which also included denying access to IT systems, were implemented based on concerns raised by the Bundestag administration. A statement released indicated that in cases where applications for building passes were rejected, there was a potential risk that access to parliamentary buildings could be exploited for unconstitutional purposes.
The Bundestag administration refrained from disclosing which parliamentarians were impacted or the precise number of cases involved. However, media reports suggest that the measures exclusively affect staff members working for members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Von Notz emphasized the necessity of strengthening the Bundestag’s resilience, noting the current limitations in utilizing intelligence-based assessments for security protocols. He underscored the urgency of enacting a revised Bundestag Police Act, which would formally grant this capability. “The Bundestag Police Act must be implemented as quickly as possible” Von Notz stated, highlighting the need for a legislative framework to address emerging security challenges within the parliament.