Germany to harden critical infrastructure amid Russia fearsAFP, BERLINGermany plans to better protect its critical infrastructure as surging tensions with Russia stoke fears of sabotage attacks and other national security threats. Proposed legislation would require power utilities, water companies and even some supermarket chains to reduce their vulnerability to terrorism, industrial accidents, natural disasters and public health emergencies. Maintenance personnel in Berlin on Jan. 6 work on the site of a Jan. 3 arson attack on high-voltage cables. Photo: AFPThe measures cover facilities that provide critical services to more than 500,000 people in sectors including energy, water, food, health, transportation, information technology, telecommunications, financial services and waste disposal. “The left-wing extremist attack on the Berlin power grid and all the many other attacks — both small and large — in recent months have shown that we simply have to protect our critical infrastructure better,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday.

Source: Taipei Times January 29, 2026 17:44 UTC