From Peace to Preparedness: Conscription as a Once-Again Fashionable Idea in the EU and Serbia
From Peace to Preparedness: Conscription as a Once-Again Fashionable Idea in the EU and Serbia

Author(s): Marko Todorović
Subject(s): Security and defense, Military policy, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Peace and Conflict Studies, Russian Aggression against Ukraine
Published by: Centar za evropske politike CEP
Keywords: Conscription; EU defense policy; Serbia; Military service; National security; EU integration; Defense preparedness;
Summary/Abstract: The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a significant trigger for the resurgence of mandatory military service in Europe. As a result of the invasion, the EU has found itself in a position of heightened concern for its own security. Beyond considering how to best support Ukraine, the Union has also been preparing for the worst-case scenario of aggression progressing and extending beyond Ukraine to an EU member state. This overarching strategic thinking has led to a rise in military capacities among member states, sparking a new wave of militarisation in Europe. Consequently, the idea of conscription- mandatory military service for all eligible male citizens - is resurfacing, despite its abandonment in the early 2000s, based on the belief that future wars would not require extensive ground forces. Renewed proposals for conscription sprung up in several EU member states and, perhaps unexpectedly, in Serbia, an EU candidate country.

• Details
• Contents