Croatia will reintroduce conscription in response to manpower shortages
Croatia will bring back military conscription, the country’s defense minister has announced. The move comes amid growing tension in Europe as the war in Ukraine drags on and other European countries, most notably Germany, debate reintroducing conscription to address manpower shortages.
Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anušić made the announcement after a meeting of the country’s National Assembly on Tuesday. The conscription period is planned to last two to three months, but no further details of the scheme were given.
Anušić said that the aim is to keep as many young people in the military as possible, with up to 15,000 taking part in training each year.
Conscription was abolished in Croatia in 2008, because it was unpopular and surveys showed that nine out of ten young people objected to the use of military force.
The new scheme will include roles for objectors that won’t require participation in combat training.
“Those who refuse to take up arms will take rakes and hoes in their hands or carry sacks on the dikes for flood protection,” Anušić said.
Although objectors “do not have to carry weapons,” he added, “they must fulfill their duties and obligations to the state.” Their terms of service will also be longer, and they will be paid less.
Veterans Affairs Minister Tomo Medved stressed that Croatia is not alone in considering the reintroduction of conscription. Flagging manpower and the war in Ukraine are driving European states to rearm.
There are already nine European states with mandatory conscription: Cyprus, Greece, Austria, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. Latvia, which shares 217 miles of border with Russia, was the last country to reintroduce conscription, in 2023.
Germany and Italy are both considering reintroducing conscription. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made “national service” for young people a central pledge of his party’s manifesto as he heads into a general election this week.
