19.08.2024, Zagreb.
The Croatian Defense Ministry announced that starting January 1, 2025, the compulsory military draft for men will be reintroduced for a two-month period, The Mayor eu portal wrote on August 19.
This practice was suspended in 2008 when the country transitioned to a voluntary service system. The Croatian Defense Ministry explained the decision by citing the growing instability of the geopolitical situation in Europe and worldwide.
The ministry also stated that in addition to the return of the compulsory military draft, the modernization of equipment and an increase in salaries for soldiers and officers of the regular army will be implemented.
Thus, Croatia will become the fifth country in the European Union to introduce conscription for some of its citizens, the publication notes. Currently, citizens of Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Austria are subject to compulsory military draft under various models.
In particular, in Sweden, the only country in Europe that also resumed conscription in 2017 after a seven-year break, conscription applies to women, although not to the same extent as it does for men.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
