Germany’s Bundestag on Friday voted in favor of a bill that would allow for a shift to conscription, as tensions with Russia push Europe to become more independent from the U.S. security umbrella.
The controversial bill was ultimately passed by a relatively solid majority, with 323 MPs voting in favor, 272 voting against, and one abstaining.
This expansion of military service sparked youth protests in more than 80 German cities, including Berlin, Cologne and Kassel.
The move aims to increase the number of soldiers in the German army from the current 180,000 to about 260,000 by 2035, and add 200,000 reservists.
This bill does not provide for compulsory military conscription. Instead, it is encouraging voluntary enlistment through measures such as increasing monthly starting salaries by 450 euros from the current level to 2,600 euros ($3,000).
But if the new quota is still not met, the government will leave open the option of “military conscription,” what Germans call need-based conscription, after a second vote in parliament on additional legislation.
Under the new system, all 18-year-olds will receive a questionnaire from next year asking about their interest in military service, but only men will be required to respond.
From July 2027, men will also be required to undergo a compulsory military service test when they turn 18.
At protests in Kassel and Berlin, some held handmade posters with slogans against the bill, while others marched through the city center chanting chants through megaphones.
“I think it’s very important that everyone be able to choose their future,” one demonstrator told CNN’s Fred Preitgen in Berlin.
“And if they don’t want to spend money on war, I think it’s their right to say they don’t want to go to the military, they don’t want to prepare for war, because preparing for war brings them closer to war.”
These reforms would see Germany join several other European countries that reintroduced or expanded military service in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Denmark expanded military service to women in July. Latvia reintroduced compulsory military service for men in January 2024. And last month, France announced the creation of a new voluntary military service system for young people.
Since military service was suspended in Germany in 2011, military service is not compulsory and is completely voluntary. The country’s military has been underfunded since the Cold War, at less than 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), as Europe’s security does not appear to be threatened and taboos surrounding the military remain from the Nazi era.
