UNPR and UMPMV, the association of active and reservist military and police officers, propose the introduction of compulsory military service, lasting 6 months, according to a press release stressing that, according to the Constitution, “Citizens have the right and obligation to defend Romania”.
“In the current geopolitical and geostrategic context, with war on Romania’s borders, critical and conflict situations in various parts of the world, increasingly acute crises at all levels (economic, energy, food, etc.), the National Union for the Progress of Romania and the “Mihai Viteazul” Union of Military and Police Officers consider that it is necessary to adopt the necessary measures to amend the legislation on national defence, namely Law no. 45/1994, the National Defence Strategy, Law no. 446/2006 on the preparation of the population for defence, Law no. 80/1995 on the status of military personnel and the creation of the appropriate legislative framework for the preparation of Romanian citizens for the defence of the country. At the same time, our approach also takes into account the provisions of Article 55 (1) of the Constitution, on the fundamental duties of citizens,” the press release said.
“In view of the above considerations, UNPR and UMPMV propose the establishment of compulsory military service for 6 months for Romanian citizens aged between 18 and 35 years.
We propose, however, the granting of a salary equal to the average wage on the economy and the obligation for employers (state and private) to maintain the job for those employed.
In Romania there are currently around 250,000 active military and police officers and around 100,000 in reserve, from all defence, public order and national security structures.
With the introduction of compulsory military service, approx. 200,000 young people can be rigorously trained every year for the defence of the country during the 6-month training period.
According to recently published polls, almost 40% of Romanians would agree that the army should be made compulsory again, and this trend is growing, given the dynamics of the current security context.
In Romania, about 1 million young people aged 18 to 35 have no stable job or are paid the minimum wage. A significant number of young people do not have an employment contract and could benefit from joining the military service.
There is growing discussion in Europe about reintroducing compulsory military service,” says UNPR.
“Countries such as Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Latvia, Austria, Greece and Estonia currently have compulsory military service.
We believe that this measure is necessary and welcome, applied in a balanced, calm and wise way, to prepare young Romanians from a military point of view”, the press release also states.
