Germany: Bundestag debates Federal Intelligence Service reform bill

The Bundestag convened in Berlin, on Friday, to debate a controversial bill that would see reforms to the Federal Intelligence Service's (BND) legal foundation and extend its scope of activities.
The coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD argued in favour of the new bill leaning on security issues and terrorism preveillance in Germany.
SPD Member of Parliament Christian Flisek maintained, "In times of an increasing terror threat, we need an intelligence service that can work efficiently abroad, and an intelligence service functioning abroad can only work efficiently on the basis of a guarantee of constitutional legitimacy."
However, opposition members from the Green and Leftist parties argued that the design of the new bill will just approve the illegal praxis of the intelligence services to the disadvantage of human and citizen rights for German and European citizens.
Die Linke Member of Parliament Martina Renner criticised the possible consequences of the bill. She said, "This bill is a gift for the Federal Intelligence Service because now it can access the communication lines in Germany legally even without any specific suspicion."