Germany discusses limiting AfD access to intelligence data — France 24
Germany is discussing the possibility of limiting representatives of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party from accessing classified information if it joins the government of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. After winning the state election, the AfD is trying to form a coalition, which could give it access to data held by agencies that monitor internal and external threats.
As France 24 reports, the French satirical-investigative publication Canard Enchaîné claims that France's domestic intelligence service warned its German counterparts that it intends not to share sensitive data concerning far-right extremists and Russia, the aggressor state, should the AfD come to power in Saxony-Anhalt.
Concerns over intelligence data
Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) considers right-wing extremists to be the greatest threat to German democracy. In its annual report published in June, the agency said that the number of such individuals rose to 58,700 last year, including amid growing support for the AfD.
The nationwide AfD has the status of an organization suspected of extremism pending a court ruling. At the same time, its branch in Saxony-Anhalt has the status of a confirmed extremist organization and is under BfV surveillance, including through the use of undercover agents.
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Jacob Ross, a senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, said that AfD control of the state's interior ministry could potentially give the party access to materials concerning surveillance of itself. According to him, the intelligence community fears that the party could try to identify undercover agents within its ranks.
Federal government plans
Before the election, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told Bild that he opposes providing classified information to AfD officials if they take part in regional governments. He emphasized what he described as the party's indisputably close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to The New York Times, Germany's federal government is preparing mechanisms intended to prevent an AfD-led state government from reviewing sensitive intelligence materials. Possible steps include restricting access to a classified plan for responding to a potential Russian attack, prepared in 2024, as well as to data on Russian subversive operations and investigations into far-right activity.
Experts also mention Austria's experience, where, after the far-right Freedom Party joined a coalition in 2017 and received the interior minister portfolio, some European partners limited intelligence sharing. At the same time, such restrictions could complicate cooperation between federal authorities and the states, since the police responsible for protecting roads, convoys, and power plants are subordinate to regional governments.
