Defence: Which European countries have mandatory and voluntary military service?

Published on 27/04/2026 - 12:30 GMT+2

Amid the warfare successful Ukraine and Trump's disapproval of NATO allies, respective European states person moved to boost their ain information and defence capabilities.

One of the cardinal components of a country's defence is its military, progressively supported successful Europe by conscripted reserves. Currently, conscription measures alteration greatly crossed the EU.

At slightest 10 subordinate states person conscription successful place, including Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, and Estonia.

Among these countries, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia and Lithuania marque it mandatory lone for men, portion Denmark and Sweden marque it compulsory for some men and women.

Conscription successful these countries tin past up to 15 months, with Croatia requesting the shortest play of service, astatine 2 months.

On the different hand, the different EU countries supply voluntary subject service, but they alteration successful however it is applied.

For example, 18-year-old German men surviving successful Germany look mandatory registration and are required to capable retired a questionnaire successful which they tin awesome their involvement successful afloat enlisting.

What are the latest changes successful Europe?

Around 800 Croatians reported for compulsory subject work astatine the opening of March this year.

Croatia's parliament voted to reintroduce compulsory subject service past October, aft it was suspended successful 2008 erstwhile the state shifted to a unpaid system.

The programme offers benefits specified arsenic a €1,100 monthly allowance, enactment grounds recognition (meaning the clip spent serving counts towards their wide enactment experience) and preferential entree to public-sector employment.

In Germany, since the opening of 2026, German men aged 17 to 45 request to question support for stays overseas for much than 3 months, adjacent though support is, successful principle, regarded arsenic a formality.

The request is portion of the Military Service Modernisation Act, which extends a regularisation antecedently constricted to states of hostility oregon defence to peacetime.

Recruitment and retention

Military unit numbers shrank by 16% connected mean betwixt 2010 and 2020, according to the latest figures from the European Organisation of Military Associations and Trade Unions (EUROMIL).

Belgium and Germany saw the largest decreases, astatine 26.5% and 25%, respectively.

On the different hand, Hungary and Sweden registered the biggest increases, some astatine 25%.

Low wages, work-life imbalance and antagonistic enactment situation are among the apical reasons affecting retention rates successful each country's equipped forces, according to EUROMIL.

For women successful the military, determination are further hurdles.

Despite women successful the subject being little apt to beryllium associated with cause issues oregon having a transgression grounds than their antheral counterparts, women soldiers look issues ranging from intersexual battle and harassment to not having a women's azygous available.