Overview

• The cabinet approved a revised Bundespolizeigesetz that would explicitly enable the Federal Police to intercept and, in danger situations, shoot down drones, subject to Bundestag and Bundesrat approval.
• Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the draft authorizes technical and physical countermeasures such as jamming and other disruptions, with legal clarity for action at airports, rail hubs and federal sites.
• The plan funds drone defense with roughly €90 million annually and 341 new posts, adds a dedicated Bundespolizei drone unit, and launches a joint federal–state drone‑defense center targeted to start this year.
• A separate Luftsicherheitsgesetz change is being prepared to define when the Bundeswehr may assist against military or high‑altitude drones; the proposal remains in government coordination.
• The bill also broadens policing and surveillance tools including phone‑location methods, telephone interception, automatic collection of passenger data from non‑Schengen flights, detention powers and random checks in weapon‑ban zones, drawing union support for stronger defenses and civil‑liberties criticism over scope and constitutionality.