Italian far-right Lega files bill for mandatory military service

6 months ago 24

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini’s League party has submitted a bill to the Chamber of Deputies proposing a mandatory six-month period of military or civilian service for all young people aged between 18 and 26, while the far-right party’s centre-right allies, including Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, oppose the measure.

“Today, Lega’s bill to reintroduce six months of civil or military service for young people between 18 and 26 years of age, on a regional basis and to be carried out exclusively in Italy, has been submitted to the Chamber of Deputies,” Salvini wrote on social media.

“I am convinced” that “this is a form of civic education in service to the community, promoting discipline, attentiveness to others, and respect for oneself and others, which can have very positive effects,” Salvini added.

Mandatory military service has been abolished in Italy since 2005.

In recent months, however, some European countries have considered extending conscription in response to growing defence needs and escalating geopolitical tensions.

The proposal was first announced by Salvini at the Alpini meeting on 12 May, prompting a back-and-forth with Crosetto.

“The Armed Forces should not be seen as a place to educate young people, a task for families and schools (…) Universal civil service is not a matter for the Armed Forces,” Crosetto declared in Vicenza.

“Even Defence Minister Crosetto is against it. There’s only one thing that unites the majority: perpetual disagreement on everything. We hope Salvini withdraws this ridiculous and outdated proposal,” said Stefano Graziano, leader of the Democratic Party (S&D) group in the Chamber of Deputies’ defence committee.

Salvini “does not stop even after Defence Minister Crosetto reminded him that mandatory service is useless. This is another attempt to make headlines with a proposal that will end up in a drawer,” Davide Faraone, head of the Italia Viva (Renew) group in the Chamber of Deputies, wrote on X.

“The United States of Europe proposes a common European army; parties should focus on this and leave Salvini’s nostalgic ideas in the past,” Faraone added.

(Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)