Overview
- President Emmanuel Macron announced a ten‑month voluntary service for 18‑ and 19‑year‑olds starting summer 2026 with 3,000 recruits at launch and a scale‑up to 50,000 by 2035, limited to duty on French territory and costed at about €2 billion pending parliamentary approval.
- In France the program includes one month of basic training followed by nine months in units, pays roughly €800–€1,000 a month, and could be made compulsory only if Parliament deems a major crisis requires it.
- Germany’s Union–SPD coalition plans a mandatory questionnaire for men beginning in 2026 and compulsory medical screening (Musterung) from July 2027 for those born in 2008 or later, while women remain voluntary absent a Basic Law change.
- Berlin’s model targets about 260,000 time and career soldiers and 200,000 reservists by 2035 and provides a contingency for demand‑based conscription via a Bundestag‑approved mechanism if volunteer numbers fall short, with conscientious objection and civilian alternatives to be provided.
- Public response is mixed, with youth interviews citing concerns over lotteries and unequal obligations, and nationwide protests including a school‑strike action planned for December 4–5 as coalition parties defend the focus on voluntariness.