Söder announces Bavarian law to protect critical infrastructure from drones and sabotage

Bavaria plans to give private operators new powers to defend critical infrastructure against drones and sabotage, Premier Markus Söder said, arguing that companies need to protect themselves more effectively.

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Private operators must be able to protect themselves better.

The proposed state law would expand security arrangements beyond industrial fire brigades. Companies could establish industrial security patrols authorized to counter drones, in much the same way that industrial fire brigades already respond to fires.

Söder told the German Press Agency in Munich that new forms of attack and increasing sabotage required new protective measures. Private infrastructure operators, he said, were increasingly being targeted by criminals and needed stronger tools to repel attacks. He presented Bavaria as a national pioneer in protecting critical infrastructure.

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New forms of attack and increasing sabotage cases require new protective measures.

The plan also calls for adjustments to data-protection requirements. Söder wants security footage stored for an appropriate period and made available for later analysis, including with artificial intelligence. He also supports easier camera surveillance of facility boundaries and fewer requirements for prominently displaying signs that cameras and security zones are being monitored.

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We protect our high-tech and security companies.

Söder said hybrid attacks were increasing and called for a new balance that would allow authorities and companies to respond quickly. He described electricity networks, water supplies and defense-industry facilities as matters of national interest, saying attacks on them could destabilize democracy and required a determined response from the state.

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Maintaining critical infrastructure such as power grids, water supplies and defense-industry facilities is in the interest of the entire state. Attacks are intended to destabilize democracy as a whole.