Conscription in Europe on the rise

France is introducing a new limited form of national military service,
aiming to bolster its armed forces amid escalating concerns over
RussiaŐs threat to Europe beyond the war in Ukraine

CURRENT STATE OF MILITARY SERVICE IN EUROPE (as of Nov 2025)

Compulsory for men
Compulsory for men and women
Voluntary service
No military service
Starts in 2026

AUSTRIA
BELARUS
BELGIUM
BULGARIA
CROATIA
CYPRUS
DENMARK
ESTONIA
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY*
GREECE
LATVIA
LITHUANIA
NETHERLANDS
NORWAY
POLAND 
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
RUS.
SERBIA
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
T†RKIYE
UKRAINE

*Legislation pending     Basic military training course

FRANCE NATIONAL SERVICE

10-month voluntary scheme
to begin in summer 2026, mainly for
18- and 19-year-olds, who will be
paid at least Ű800 per month

Initial target of 3,000 volunteers
in first year, with numbers rising to
50,000 by 2035

Compulsory conscription
was abolished in France in 1997

Sources: AFP, BBC
Picture: Getty Images
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