Germany and Switzerland security and administration updates

Germany and Switzerland are implementing measures to expand their administrative and security capacities.

In Germany, the federal government plans to increase federal administration positions by 4.1 percent by 2027, with growth concentrated in the civil service, security, and defense sectors. This expansion is expected to raise personnel expenditures to 51.62 billion euros by 2027. Concurrently, legislative reforms aim to grant intelligence services the authority to request information from entities under the Money Laundering Act, impacting financial and insurance intermediaries.

In Switzerland, the Federal Council is planning hundreds of new positions for the army, border guard, and federal police, though officials have warned of potential workspace shortages for these new employees. Additionally, the Council of States has approved a partial revision of the Intelligence Service Act. This reform grants the Federal Intelligence Service broader surveillance capabilities, such as wiretapping and searches, to address threats including violent extremism, hybrid conflicts, and espionage.