Croatia reintroduces military conscription as Europe worries about Russia-Ukraine war

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia’s parliament on Friday voted to reintroduce compulsory military service in the European Union and NATO member country.

The move comes amid heightened tensions in Europe following the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as an apparent arms race and military buildup in the Balkans, which went through a bloody war in the 1990s.

Lawmakers approved legal changes in a 84-11 vote and with 30 abstentions in the 151-member parliament. The army service will last two months and provide “basic military training,” public broadcaster HRT said.

This decision marks a return to conscription, which was suspended in 2008 when the country shifted to a volunteer system.

Croatia’s Defense Ministry said the aim is to teach young people basic skills and knowledge that are “needed in crisis situations, so they would contribute to national security.”

Authorities will start calling conscripts born in 2007 for medical checkups by the end of the year. Conscripts will receive a salary, and conscientious objectors can choose civilian service instead, the HRT report said.

Croatia has been boosting its armed forces at a time when many European countries fear that the war in Ukraine could spill over or that they could face an attack from Russia.

Croatia held a big military parade in July marking a major victory from the 1991-95 war that followed its independence from the former Yugoslavia. Relations with wartime foe Serbia have remained tense since the 1990s.