Germany news roundup: Intelligence warnings, political disputes, and social reforms

Moscow is already waging a "shadow war" against Europe, the head of Germany's foreign intelligence service says. The Left Party is taking a case over remarks by the CDU's Katherina Reiche to a top court.

The BND foreign intelligence agency has noted a "new, more dangerous dimension" to the confrontation with Russia. The Left Party is suing Economy Minister Katherina Reiche at the Constitutional Court for using official government channels to criticize it. Grassroots groups from junior coalition partners the SPD have objected to several elements in a proposed reform of labor laws. A draft bill envisages making it easier for victims of domestic violence to move away from perpetrators. 100,000 households have received an e-vehicle subsidy since May, the environment minister says.

High-tech goods from China, such as electric vehicles or even robot vacuum cleaners, could represent a security risk, the BfV domestic intelligence agency has warned. BfV head Sinan Selen told a hearing of parliament's intelligence oversight committee in Berlin that the issue was of "great concern" to him. "I already see substantial shortcomings that create potential for abuse," he said. Data collected via the products could be passed on to "state agencies", he said, leading to risks including "potential shutdown of entire products."

Deutsche Telekom plans to use artificial intelligence and automation to cut annual costs by around €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) by 2030. The target covers the German telecommunications giant's operations outside the United States. Deutsche Telekom is already using AI for repetitive tasks in network operations, customer service, software development and administration. Its "Frag Magenta" chatbot handled around 2.6 million customer service calls in the first half of 2026, the company said.

Grassroots groups within the Social Democrats (SPD) have spoken out against plans to "flexibilize" the working week in a position paper. In question is a paragraph in the coalition agreement that speaks of "the possibility of a weekly rather than a daily maximum working time." The conservative Christian Democrat (CDU)-Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc has pushed to have a maximum number of hours that can be worked per week rather than the current daily standard limit of eight hours.

Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has ruled that a person facing deportation cannot be detained as a flight risk simply because their past behavior suggests they might try to avoid being deported. The case concerned a stateless Palestinian man who sought asylum at a police station in Germany in April 2023. The BGH ruled that his behavior alone was not enough to establish this particular ground for detention.

Germany is facing a growing risk of a violent confrontation with Russia as Moscow continues a campaign of hybrid warfare with other countries in Europe, the head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence service warned on Monday. Speaking before the Bundestag at the annual public hearing of intelligence chiefs, Martin Jäger said: "The confrontation we are facing with Russia has taken on a new, more dangerous dimension."

The Justice Ministry has put forward a draft bill making it easier for domestic abuse victims to leave joint tenancy contracts and obliging perpetrators to pay for any ensuing costs. According to police statistics, nearly 266,000 people in Germany were affected by domestic abuse in 2024, 70% of them women and girls.

Since May, the German government has paid out subsidies to 100,000 households wanting to procure an electric vehicle, Environment Minister Carsten Schneider told the mass-circulation Bild newspaper on Monday. Schneider said the program, worth €3 billion ($3.36 billion), had "far exceeded our expectations."