Germany passed a draft bill to establish voluntary military service aimed at significantly boosting Bundeswehr recruitment to address an estimated shortfall of about 80,000 active soldiers. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the proposed model is based on voluntary service and that there are no current plans to reinstate compulsory conscription, which was suspended in 2011. Activists blocked an army careers office in Cologne in protest. Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel with Emmanuel Macron and Donald Tusk to Moldova to mark its 34th independence anniversary and to signal support for President Maia Sandu and her pro‑European government ahead of September parliamentary elections.
The Bundeswehr needs around 80,000 additional active soldiers, and Merz's government has committed to seeking voluntary military service for now. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that the government passed a bill for voluntary military service, as the country seeks to significantly bolster troop recruitment. The new military service model proposed by Pistorius is largely based on voluntary service, and there are currently no plans to reinstate compulsory service.
Meanwhile, protesters blocked a military recruitment office in Cologne. Merz, Macron and Tusk will be heading to Moldova on Wednesday. The visit comes as the country marks the 34th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. The leaders are showing support for President Maia Sandu and her pro-European government ahead of the September parliamentary elections. In 2021, President Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) won 63 of the 101 parliamentary seats.
#voluntary-military-service #bundeswehr-recruitment #protests-in-cologne #european-leaders-visit-moldova
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