(de-news.net) – Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) has expressed firm support for the legislative proposals advanced jointly by the Union and the SPD in advance of the Bundestag’s scheduled debate this Friday on amendments to criminal law designed to strengthen counterterrorism measures. She emphasized that the initiative was directed squarely at the evolving nature of terrorist threats, stressing that in recent years extremist actors had repeatedly relied on ordinary objects—such as motor vehicles or knives—to carry out attacks. These examples, she argued, demonstrated the necessity of adapting legal instruments to address unconventional methods of violence that exploit everyday items.
Under the proposed framework, not only the execution of such acts but also their preparation and explicit threats would fall within the scope of criminal prosecution. Hubig recalled that incidents such as the attack on Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz Christmas market and the vehicle assault in Magdeburg had revealed in the most tragic fashion the catastrophic potential of automobiles when deliberately employed as weapons. By criminalizing preparatory behavior and threats, the legislation sought to close gaps that had previously allowed dangerous intentions to remain outside the reach of law enforcement until violence was actually committed.
The minister further explained that the reform package extended beyond these provisions to include a systematic tightening of penalties for espionage, alongside a commitment to pursue terrorism financing and the entry of foreign fighters with greater consistency and severity. In her assessment, these measures represented targeted yet essential adjustments to the criminal code. They were intended not as sweeping overhauls but as precise legal reinforcements that would equip the constitutional state to withstand new and complex forms of threat. Hubig maintained that such calibrated reforms were indispensable for ensuring that Germany’s legal system remained resilient, adaptable, and capable of protecting citizens against the shifting strategies of international terrorism.
