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Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution MV now also for children: New laws in focus!
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is planning changes to the Constitutional Protection Act to protect children from extremism and introduce new powers.
Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution MV now also for children: New laws in focus!
A fundamental reform of the Constitutional Protection Act is underway in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Interior Minister Christian Pegel (SPD) has announced that the amendments to the law will take into account the requirements of the Federal Constitutional Court. This is urgently needed because a number of judgments make it clear that the legal design of the powers and controls of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution must be made more precise. Loud Northern Courier Pegel will present a corresponding draft to the cabinet in Schwerin.
A central concern of this change in the law is the expansion of the powers of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, particularly with regard to the storage of data from people under the age of 16 in the event of serious endeavours. Previously, the legal lower limit for storing this data was 16 years. Pegel emphasizes that extremists are increasingly trying to win over children and young people to their ideologies, which underlines the need for such a measure.
Extended rights for constitutional protection
The new draft also provides for increased hurdles for the transfer of data and for particularly intrusive measures. An essential component is the establishment of a complaints office for secret service agents. In the future, employees of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution can submit petitions to the Parliamentary Control Commission (PKK), which is also to be expanded into an independent petition body. This development is not only important for the employees of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, but also for the transparency and verifiability of the work of this institution.
As a result, the PKK's confidentiality obligations will be strengthened, which could further strengthen trust in this control unit. The current steps make it clear that security has a high priority in democracy and must be continuously developed in order to counter the challenges of extremist efforts.
A look beyond the borders
But while regional approaches to strengthening the protection of the constitution are being discussed in Germany, looking at the national level remains just as important. ZDF reports on planned new laws to protect the Federal Constitutional Court, which are being pushed forward by the traffic light coalition and the CDU. This project aims to improve the independence and functionality of the court, especially with a view to defending against extremists, who represent not only a legal but also a political challenge.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, however, dampens expectations of these legal measures and warns against a naive view that legal regulations alone could ward off extremists. Rather, defending against extremists is primarily a political task that also requires support from states at a granular level.
The importance of fundamental rights
The need for active protection of democratic values and fundamental rights is also used to emphasize the central tasks of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). This acts as an early warning system against efforts that endanger the free-democratic basic order. The Protection of the Constitution emphasizes that radicalism has its place in democratic discourse as long as it does not reach extremist proportions and question the state structure.
In times when the number of free democratic societies seems to be dwindling, the commitment to a vibrant democracy is even more important. Recent developments underline that protecting democracy and its values is not only a political task, but also requires deep social dialogue to counter extremism of all forms.