German MPs rubberstamp military service plan amid school pupil protests

All 18-year-old men to be screened for suitability for armed forces, but proposal falls short of conscription

Demonstrators hold a banner during a protest against the planned possibility of compulsory service in front of the German parliament in Berlin. Picture: Markus Schreiber/AP

The German parliament has rubberstamped a new model for military service that aims to boost its armed forces as thousands of school pupils demonstrated across the country against the plans.

The change will include the obligatory screening of all 18-year-old men to gauge their suitability to serve in the military from 1 January, but does not include conscription, as favoured by some conservative politicians.

If the model fails to pull in enough recruits, parliament will be compelled to discuss the reintroduction of conscription, the defence minister, Boris Pistorius, told the Bundestag.

Pupils missed classes to take part in climate protest-style “school strike” demonstrations against the legislation in 90 towns and cities, despite warnings from education authorities that striking could affect their end of year grades.

Alicia, a 17-year-old taking part in a demonstration in Kreuzberg, Berlin, said: “I’m striking against conscription and in opposition to the rearmament that’s taking place, not least as I don’t think the government is doing enough to secure peace through diplomatic means.” MPs addressed concerns that young people’s futures were being put at risk amid pressure on anyone born from 2008 to join up.

Siemtje Möller, of the SPD, a junior partner in coalition with the chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives, pushed back against what she referred to as the “populist” message of the protest.

She said: “We are neither deciding today that you will be obliged to serve in the armed forces, nor that we will be drawing lots to send you to Ukraine as cannon fodder. That is pure populism, or simply nonsense.”

A person with the mask of German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius attends a protest against compulsory service. Picture: Markus Schreiber/AP

Möller expressed the sentiment building in recent weeks that a rise in interest in the German armed forces would ensure enough volunteers would be found to boost numbers to460,000, consisting of 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists.

Germany currently has 182,000 active soldiers and just under 50,000 reservists.

In 2011, under Angela Merkel’s government, Germany suspended its military conscription programme, which had been in place from 1956, in order to modernise it for the post-cold war world, where it was thought the focus would be on foreign missions requiring the skills of a professional army rather than conscripts needed to fight a war.

Pistorius called the law “a critical step towards our ability to defend ourselves”, adding: “Our allies are looking to us.” The law was passed by 323 votes to 272, with one abstention. Among those against it were the far-right populist AfD and the far-left Die Linke.

Desiree Backer, of Die Linke, urged young people to stand up against the law, which she said was “anything but voluntary”, as 18-year-olds would be obliged to fill out a questionnaire. She also pointed to evasive answers given by ministers when questioned over whether they would be prepared to see their own children conscripted.

“Young people have other plans than risking their lives for the rich,” she said.

The AfD’s Rüdiger Lucassen criticised as “superficial” attempts to attract young people to military service by giving them substantial pay increases and offering them benefits such as financing driving licences and language classes.

“Soldiers who come for the pay have no solid foundation for their service,” he said, calling for a military service with a nationalist bent whereby young people would be driven by patriotism, not money, to serve.

“The German soldier must know what he is fighting for,” he said, arguing that soldiers should follow the centuries-old tradition to “fight for their country, not for a government”.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. File picture: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Critics called Lucassen’s stance problematic for failing to refer in that context to the atrocities committed by German soldiers during the Nazi era.

The historic vote took place before another key piece of legislation regarding the German state pension, also expected to have a significant impact on the lives of young Germans.

Merz had faced an unusual rebellion within his own party from 18 young MPs who argued that the law, which will keep state pensions at 48% of average wages until 2031, would come at the expense of young people who would bear the brunt of demographic changes that meant ever fewer workers were responsible for the pensions of their elders.

The nail-biting vote was considered to be so tight that sick MPs and those with babies were persuaded to be present. In the end, the rebels were won round by a promise that a commission would draw up proposals for more far-reaching changes to the pension system from next year. The vote passed by 319 in favour to 225 against, with 53 abstentions.

The law also includes tax incentives for people to continue in the workplace beyond retirement to cope with an acute labour shortage.

— The Guardian