German cabinet approves reform package to speed housing, expand cyber powers and toughen trafficking laws
Germany’s cabinet approves reform package covering housing law, cyber-defence powers, tougher human‑trafficking penalties, streaming investment rules and occupational disease recognition.
The German cabinet approved a broad reform package on Wednesday that includes a major overhaul of the Baugesetzbuch to accelerate housing construction, expanded cyber‑defence powers for federal agencies and tightened criminal rules on human trafficking. The reform package also imposes new investment obligations on streaming services and recognises pesticide‑linked Parkinson’s disease as an occupational illness, with each measure now awaiting parliamentary approval.
Cabinet signs off on coordinated multi‑bill package
Ministers in the federal cabinet voted to forward several legislative proposals to the Bundestag and Bundesrat for consideration and possible amendment. Each draft will require parliamentary passage and, where constitutionally necessary, Bundesrat consent before becoming law.
Government officials presented the measures as interlinked responses to long‑standing economic, technological and social challenges, arguing the package balances speedier decision‑making with legal safeguards and targeted oversight.
Housing law rewrite to prioritise building on new land
The centrepiece is a planned revision of the Baugesetzbuch intended to boost housing supply by shortening planning procedures and increasing transparency for citizens. The government said digitalised processes and clearer timelines aim to reduce bureaucratic delays that have slowed new construction for years.
Under the proposal, building apartments in regions deemed to have an acute housing shortage would be classified as an “overriding public interest,” allowing faster approvals and giving municipalities stronger tools against derelict “zombie” properties. The draft also includes a narrow pathway to expropriate properties in cases of “extreme misuse,” while maintaining that environmental and heritage protections will not be broadly lowered.
Federal agencies granted limited offensive cyber options
A second bill would broaden the powers of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Federal Police to counter cyberattacks more proactively. For the first time, the lawmaker text contemplates measures such as rerouting malicious traffic and targeted interventions in attackers’ IT systems to remove or alter data.
Government documents justify the change by citing a rise in both the volume and sophistication of cyberattacks against Germany’s economy and critical infrastructure. Officials cautioned the powers would be tightly regulated and used only in specific circumstances to protect national security and public safety.
Criminal law expanded to target demand and new forms of exploitation
The cabinet approved changes to criminal statutes to close gaps in the prosecution of human trafficking and exploitation. The draft would widen the definition of trafficking to encompass forced surrogacy, coerced adoption and forced marriage, and introduce stiffer penalties for perpetrators.
Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said the reforms aim to make it easier to pursue networks that profit from modern forms of slavery and to hold accountable those who knowingly use services produced through exploitation. The proposal also seeks to address the “demand side” by creating liability in more circumstances for those who knowingly benefit from or solicit exploitative services.
Streaming platforms to invest a share of German revenues
Streaming services operating in Germany would be required to invest a minimum share of their domestic revenues back into the local film and television sector under a separate measure. The proposal sets a baseline investment quota of eight percent of annual Germany‑generated revenues, with incentives for higher voluntary commitments.
At a proposed 12 percent investment level, companies could gain limited flexibility from some detailed legal obligations, and the rules would include sub‑quotas aimed at supporting German‑language content, independent producers and new productions.
Pesticide‑linked Parkinson recognised as occupational disease
The cabinet also approved a regulation to list Parkinson’s disease caused by repeated pesticide exposure as an occupational illness, following a recommendation from the ministry’s medical committee. The move would allow affected workers to access benefits through statutory accident insurance if a causal link to pesticide handling is established.
Employer groups and farming associations voiced reservations about the scientific basis and potential implications for insurance contributions, but the government said the decision reflects the findings of multiple studies indicating a plausible connection between certain agrochemicals and chronic neurodegenerative disease.
The reform package now moves to the Bundestag where committees will examine the texts and may propose amendments; measures requiring Bundesrat approval will then proceed to the federal council for consideration. Lawmakers and stakeholders across industry, agriculture, heritage and civil liberties groups are expected to press for adjustments during parliamentary debate as the bills advance toward final votes.
