German lower house passes new voluntary military service

German lawmakers gave the green light on Friday for the introduction of a new voluntary military service, agreed amid much debate as a consequence of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

From January 1, the bill provides for young men to undergo medical examinations and be registered on a list, while active service remains voluntary.

In a roll-call vote, 323 lawmakers backed the bill, 272 voted against and there was one abstention.

Ahead of the Bundestag vote, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius had urged lawmakers to adopt it.

Freedom of opinion, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and the state "do not protect themselves," he said. "That has to be done by people who are ready to stand up for it, not those who stand behind the garden fence waiting for others to do it."

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives and the Social Democrats, Pistorius' party, had argued over the need for mandatory conscription.

The plans now provide for parliament to decide on needs-based conscription if targets for expanding the armed forces are missed through voluntary measures alone.

From January, military service is to last at least six months, with a minimum pay of €2,600 ($3,027) per month. Additional incentives are planned for longer commitments of 12 months or more.

All young men and women born from 2008 onwards will receive a questionnaire next year that will ask, among other things, whether they are interested in undergoing military service. Men must respond, while women can opt to, since the constitution does not provide for female conscription.

The upper house of parliament must approve the law in the coming weeks for it to take effect in January.