Agreement on a new military service law seems likely.
Source: AP
Politicians from the CDU/CSU and SPD have reached a fundamental agreement after weeks of disagreement over the new military service law. This was reported from among the coalition factions. The results of the evening discussion on Thursday morning will be notified in advance to the parliamentary group. The public must then be informed of the details.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) sought a compromise with representatives of the Bundestag on Wednesday evening. According to information from the AFP news agency, the meeting was attended by the leaders of the Union and SPD parliamentary groups, Jens Spahn (CDU) and Matthias Miersch (SPD), as well as several specialist politicians.
According to information from party circles, specialist politicians Norbert Röttgen (CDU), Siemtje Möller and Falko Droßmann (both SPD) as well as Thomas Erndl (CSU) should also take part in the meeting.
Defense Minister Pistorius discussed military service with leaders of the Unity and SPD parties. The parliamentary group will first be informed of the results, Diana Zimmermann said.
11/12/2025 | 2:35 min
Pistorius relies on voluntary action, the Union demands automatism
In the draft law on new military service, Pistorius initially relied on voluntary measures to attract recruits to the Bundeswehr. Unions have called for automatic conscription if there are not enough volunteers.
Therefore, specialist politicians from the CDU/CSU and SPD in the Bundestag drew up a compromise proposal in mid-October. Therefore, the lottery should determine who should undergo mandatory collection. If the number of volunteers is insufficient, men selected according to the needs of the Bundeswehr must be drafted into military service using another lottery system.
Minister Pistorius rejected this and stopped the official announcement of the agreement by parliamentary representatives. His proposed law stipulates that the entire group of 18-year-olds must be mustered out by mid-2027. But there should be no compulsion to serve.
The Bundeswehr is celebrating its 70th anniversary and parliament is discussing military service. Defense Minister Pistorius predicted a deal would be reached by the end of this week.
11/12/2025 | 1:42 min
Weeks of searching for a new compromise
Those involved have been negotiating a new compromise for weeks. Pistorius and key representatives of the Union and SPD in the Bundestag recently expressed confidence that this will be successful by the end of this week.
Given the threat from Russia and new NATO guidelines regarding troop levels, Germany will have to significantly increase the number of Bundeswehr personnel in the coming years. Pistorius plans to increase the number of active troops from the current 182,000 to around 260,000. There will be an additional 200,000 reserves.
Source: ZDF, AFP, dpa
