German Cabinet agrees upon new controls for spy agency

BERLIN (AP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet has agreed upon new measures that would tighten controls on Germany's spy agency.

The dpa news agency reported Tuesday that the Cabinet had agreed upon a 60-page proposal setting new parameters for the Bundesnachrichtendienst, or BND, including tighter controls of its surveillance activities.

The BND came under fire last year over allegations it spied on officials from the European Union and other allied nations and failed to vet lists of eavesdropping targets it received from the U.S. National Security Agency.

The new measures would allow such surveillance only if certain categories are fulfilled, like suspicion of a danger to Germany's security. They would also establish a new independent oversight panel to keep tabs on surveillance targets.

The measures are expected to easily receive Parliamentary approval.