Negotiators from the CDU/CSU and SPD reached an agreement in the military service debate—but this is now likely off the table for the time being. According to media reports, there was resistance within the SPD parliamentary group. A press conference was canceled.
According to consistent media reports, the coalition's agreement on changes to the planned military service model has failed for the time being. A joint press conference by the CDU/CSU and SPD was canceled at short notice. Details of the plans were originally scheduled to be announced there.
But there was apparently resistance within the SPD to the lottery system proposed by the CDU/CSU. It was intended to take effect if too few volunteers signed up for the Bundeswehr. A spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said:"We canceled the press conference because the intended agreement failed to materialize. We had fully expected this."
Resistance at SPD parliamentary group meeting
Previously, an agreement had been reached between negotiators from the CDU/CSU and SPD. Expert politicians from both sides had negotiated amendments to the law presented by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, including the controversial lottery procedure.
According to the dpa news agency, there were heated discussions at the SPD parliamentary group meeting. Pistorius himself, in particular, was reportedly dissatisfied with the compromise. Whether the bill will be introduced to the Bundestag as planned on Thursday is now open again, according to both sides.
Röttgen criticizes Pistorius
Norbert Röttgen, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, later sharply criticized Pistorius."In over 30 years of membership in the German Bundestag, I have never experienced a federal minister head-on torpedoing an important legislative process within his own area of responsibility and plunging his own parliamentary group into chaos," the CDU politician told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Röttgen negotiated the compromise together with Bundestag members Siemtje Möller, Falko Droßmann (both SPD), and Thomas Erndl (CSU).
Debate about voluntariness
The debate within the coalition is about whether the planned new military service should rely exclusively on voluntary recruitment, as Pistorius had proposed, or whether mandatory elements should already be included in the law. There are doubts within the CDU/CSU that sufficient personnel can be recruited for the Bundeswehr on a purely voluntary basis.
Over the weekend, media reported on the possible introduction of a lottery system in the current draft of the Military Service Act, quoting sources from parliamentary groups. The idea: If there aren't enough volunteers, a lottery would be held among those who had to complete the questionnaire to determine who would be drafted and, if necessary, required to serve for at least six months.
According to reports, Pistorius is also expected to provide figures on when and how many conscripts he will need. These figures will be used as criteria for the possible use of mandatory elements.
Multi-stage process planned
According to coalition sources, negotiators were now planning a multi-tiered system based on the Danish model, according to the Reuters news agency. All male members of a given year must complete a questionnaire on military service and can volunteer for at least six months.
If not enough volunteers are found, a second step is a random draw within the year group. Those selected will first be specifically persuaded to volunteer. If this fails, the Bundestag would have to pass a resolution in a third step and forcibly draft those missing.
CSU regional group leader Alexander Hoffmann recently rejected legal concerns about a lottery system. The Union had commissioned a legal opinion stating that such a regulation would be compatible with the Basic Law, he said. A lottery system serves to establish equality in a selection process."The lottery process ensures this equality because everyone has the same chance, or lack of chance, of being selected," Hoffmann said.
