Croatia will reintroduce mandatory military service for the first time in 17 years as part of a wider effort to strengthen national security and defence preparedness.
On Monday, 800 recruits will begin a two-month basic training programme at military facilities across the country.
Public opinion initially showed some division. However, more than half of the first group of recruits volunteered to join the programme. Around 10 per cent of them are women.
Only ten people have filed conscientious objections and applied for civilian service instead. According to academic researchers, this represents one of the lowest rates of such requests in Europe.
When Leon Dejanovic, 18, begins his training in May, he will join around 4,000 conscripts that the government plans to recruit each year.
Training programme and incentives
Dejanovic said receiving his draft notice in January felt “a little surprising”. However, the social media influencer, who has thousands of followers, sees the training as a chance to step away from his digital routine.
“Honestly, I cannot wait to be without my phone for a while because I use it all day for work,” Dejanovic said in an interview with Reuters in his hometown of Karlovac, located about 50 kilometres southwest of Zagreb.
The training programme will include basic survival skills, self-defence, first aid and the operation of FPV drones.
The government has also introduced several incentives for recruits. These include a monthly allowance of 1,100 euros, employment record credits and priority access to certain public-sector jobs.
Mixed public reaction
Dejanovic’s friend Josip Franjo Cvitesic has a different view.
The 19-year-old factory worker said he has not yet received a call-up notice but does not support the policy. He said he worries that the service could interrupt his job and reduce his income.
With this decision, Croatia joins several NATO member states that maintain mandatory military service. These include Greece, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The Croatian government approved changes to its defence law in October to formally restore mandatory service.
