Croatia Considers Summertime Military Conscription Scheme

The Croatian defence ministry told BIRN that it is analysing options after the government the possibility of reintroducing compulsory military service, although the costs of bringing back conscription are not yet clear.

Asked how much it will cost taxpayers, the defence ministry said that that "the Armed Forces are currently working on analyses and simulations of the benefits and challenges of such a possible decision".

"One idea being considered is the model of summer camps that would last three to four weeks, during which they [conscripts]… would perform community service and environmental projects in cooperation with civilian institutions and the local community, and carry out a short training session in first aid and the mastering of basic military skills," it said.

Croatia suspended - and de facto abolished - six-month compulsory military service in 2008, but for more than a year there has been a debate about reintroducing it, an idea floated by the ruling centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ and President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic.

Reintroducing full-scale conscription would cost between 40 and 65 million euros annually, according to former Defence Minister Ante Kotromanovic, so sources from the ministry first talked about introducing "a significantly cheaper" two-month service, and are now contemplating an even briefer 'summer camp'.

A summer initiative would save money on the heating of barracks and on supplying conscripts with winter clothing and equipment, it is argued.

While visiting an air force base near Zagreb on Tuesday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic about the government's reasons for introducing military service back.

"What the [Defence] Minister [Damir Krsticevic] wants to do with such an...

Continue reading on: