Photo: Sven Simon
Berlin – Intensive negotiations are underway in Germany to form a new government, but the issue of the return of military service has become one of the key stumbling blocks between the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). This was reported by Deutschlandfunk.
Discussions on compulsory or voluntary service
The CDU/CSU Christian Democratic bloc, which won early parliamentary elections in February, insists on the return of compulsory military service, which was suspended in 2011. The Social Democrats, on the other hand, favour a voluntary model. The defence working group, one of 16 groups set up for the talks, failed to reach a consensus and presented both positions for further agreement by party leaders.
In the draft document that was leaked to the press, representatives of the CDU/CSU state: “The current high threat situation requires a credible deterrent. This requires a rapid and systematic build-up of our armed forces. Therefore, we will end the suspension of compulsory military service.”
For its part, the SPD proposes to create a military registration system to identify citizens who are eligible for service and to organise a public discussion on a new format of military service that would be attractive to all.
Is the Swedish model a compromise?
The current German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius of the SPD supports a mixed model, similar to the Swedish one, which combines voluntary and compulsory elements. According to his proposal, all 18-year-old men should be subject to compulsory military registration, and 5,000 of the most fit and motivated will be selected annually.
According to the German Constitution, only men can be conscripted into the army. Extending this obligation to women would require a constitutional two-thirds majority in parliament, which is currently politically impossible.
Negotiations are ongoing: when will there be a decision?
The CDU/CSU and SPD have announced that the second phase of coalition talks begins on Friday. Future Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) aims to conclude the talks before Easter so that a government can be formed as soon as possible. However, in addition to the military service issue, differences between the parties remain in the areas of illegal migration control, tax and social policy.
Will the new government manage to find a compromise on military service? The answer to this question will be revealed in the coming weeks.
