Spain abolished compulsory military service in 2001, following earlier moves by France, Belgium and later Italy. Russia's actions, especially the invasion of Ukraine, prompted several countries to reverse abolition and reinstate conscription. Germany's government approved the return of military service, initially voluntary, accompanied by a symbolic Defence Ministry meeting. Croatia plans reinstatement in early 2026. Lithuania reinstated conscription in 2015, drafting 4,000 young men annually for nine months by lottery after Crimea's annexation and Donbas conflict. Currently nine of 27 EU members retain compulsory service, including all Nordic and Baltic states near Russia; some countries never abolished conscription.
The long shadow of Vladimir Putin and above all the Russian invasion of Ukraine, however, has changed everything. In this regard too, several countries, including Germany the most populous and powerful nation in the European Union have reversed course, reinstating military service for their young people. The final approval by Friedrich Merz's government for the return of military service although initially it will be voluntary with a symbolic meeting Wednesday at the German Ministry of Defense, seeking to send a signal of strengthening the army,
And over 600 miles east of Berlin, in Vilnius, the Lithuanian authorities took the same step in early 2015, just seven years after it was abolished. The Russian annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the outbreak of the war in Donbas were the main justification for that decision, which led and continues to lead 4,000 young men chosen each year by lottery to join the Armed Forces for a period of nine months.
A decade later, nine of the 27 EU member states have some form of compulsory military service in their legislation for those who have just reached the age of majority, including all Nordic and Baltic countries bordering or geographically close to Russia. Some, such as Finland, Estonia, and Denmark as well as Norway, a non-EU country with close ties of cooperation with the bloc never abolished it.
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