French President Emmanuel Macron announced today the introduction of ten-month voluntary military service, which will be carried out "exclusively on the territory of the country" from next summer, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
"Mainly young people aged 18 and 19 will be attracted, with military service covering 3,000 people in the summer of next year, before reaching the target of 10,000 people in 2030 and 50,000 in 2035", explained the French head of state, for whom French youth "burn with a desire for initiatives" and is "ready to serve the fatherland."
According to the president, in the context of the war in Ukraine, "the only way to avoid danger is to prepare for it, not to feed fear."
"In this uncertain world, where might prevails over right and we are talking about war in the present tense, our people have no right to fear, panic, unpreparedness or division", Macron stressed during his visit to the headquarters of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade in the city of Vars, in the French Alps.
France abolished compulsory military service in 1997. Twelve countries in Europe have retained or reintroduced it, AFP recalls.