German cabinet widens security vetting for critical infrastructure staff against sabotage

Wider vetting for critical infrastructure

The federal cabinet approved on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, a regulation that widens security vetting of employees at important companies in Germany's critical infrastructure. The aim is to reduce the risk of sabotage carried out by extremists or on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. The rules target so-called insiders, meaning people with access to important facilities such as the railway, waterworks and dams. According to the Interior Ministry, the cabinet adopted the two draft versions it had submitted.

Why the government acts

Vetting lets authorities check in advance whether a person can be trusted, for example whether there are signs of extremism or whether someone can be blackmailed. The person concerned must consent, and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) takes part in the checks. How intensive a check is depends on the security interest of the workplace. The government points to a rising danger from attacks below the threshold of war, such as sabotage and espionage, and security authorities see the threat from Russia growing mainly since Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022. The Bundestag had already tightened the checks through a law change in December.

Who falls under the new rules

The regulation names specific operators that will now be covered. These include operators of plants able to restart the power grid after a total blackout and operators of digital energy systems with more than 3 gigawatts of capacity. Large waterworks that supply at least 22 million cubic metres of drinking water a year are also included, along with the control centres of larger dams. Liquefied natural gas terminals connected to the gas grid are on the list as well. The states may depart from the federal rules in some areas, which covers public waterworks and data centres that carry out state tasks.

Warning system staff

A second draft concerns the Modular Warning System of the federal government (MoWaS), through which the state alerts the population. Warnings cover war dangers as well as floods and other disasters. Technical staff at the state broadcasters who take part in distributing warning messages will in future also be vetted, and the ministry expects about 50 cases. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in a statement:

“Hybrid threats are real dangers to Germany's security.”

The ministry said the goal is to guard against sabotage by potential perpetrators from within while raising the resilience of important facilities, citing a tense security situation.