German lawmakers approve move towards conscription as Europe seeks to counter Russia
By Issy Ronald, Stephanie Halasz, Sophie Tanno, CNN
(CNN) — Germany’s Bundestag voted for a bill on Friday that allows the country to move towards conscription, as tensions with Russia spur calls for Europe to gain more independence from the US security umbrella.
The controversial bill passed with a relatively solid majority in the end, with 323 lawmakers voting yes, 272 voting no and one abstaining.
The move seeks to boost the numbers in Germany’s armed forces to 260,000 soldiers, up from the current 180,000, in addition to an extra 200,000 reservists, by 2035.
The bill does not provide for mandatory conscription. Instead, it incentivizes voluntary enlistment through measures like a monthly starting salary of €2,600 ($3,000) – an increase of €450 from the current level.
However, if the new quotas still aren’t reached, the government retains the option of “Bedarfswehrpflicht” – what Germans call needs-based conscription – following another vote for an extra law in parliament.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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