Croatia Reintroduces Mandatory Military Service
(MENAFN) Croatia’s parliament has approved the restoration of compulsory military service, concluding a 17-year pause.
The Balkan nation had eliminated the draft in 2008, transitioning to a fully professionalized armed force.
This decision aligns with a growing tendency among NATO and EU member states to reintroduce conscription and increase defense expenditures, citing escalating geopolitical tensions—most notably the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
According to a state broadcaster, the newly enacted legislation will require approximately 4,000 individuals to enlist annually, divided into five groups, each undergoing two months of basic instruction at military sites across Croatia.
The initiative—projected to cost €23.7 million per year—is scheduled to commence in early 2026.
Participants will earn about €1,100 monthly, in addition to travel and leave allowances, and their service will count toward work experience.
Croatia is “seeing a rise in various types of threats that demand swift and effective action from the broader community,” Defense Minister Ivan Anusic remarked earlier this week, as quoted by a news agency.
Back in June, he emphasized that the reinstatement of conscription was motivated by “changed global geopolitical and security circumstances, increasingly frequent climate change, natural disasters and similar challenges.”
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