Package of security measures

During the same late night session, the Bundestag approved a package of security measures aimed at preventing extremist attacks. Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, on Thursday approved a draft law that would prevent civil servants, judges and soldiers from wearing Islamic full-face veils at work. The new law fell short of demands by right-wing parties for a total ban in public places, as in France. The text of the legislation said: “The state has a duty to present itself in an ideologically and religiously neutral manner.”

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the partial burka ban is about social integration of immigrants which requires “that we make clear and communicate our values and the limits of our tolerance to other cultures.”

The law prohibiting facial coverings allows certain exceptions – for instance, health workers protecting themselves against infections or police officers concealing their identity. The approval came after Chancellor Angela Merkel's December call for a ban on full-face Muslim veils "wherever legally possible".
The Bundestag approves a ban on burqas being worn by members of the German civil service.