Military service questionnaire ignored: German ministry launches fine proceedings
Young men in Germany who fail to return the Bundeswehr questionnaire on time face fines of up to 250 euros. About 96 percent of men have responded.
Symbolic image · Photo: Jcornelius / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Germany's Defence Ministry is opening administrative offence proceedings against young men who did not answer the mandatory questionnaire for the new military service on time, the German Press Agency dpa reported on Wednesday. The fine can be up to 250 euros. According to the ministry, the obligation to respond remains even after the deadline has passed.
Men must complete the form within four weeks, followed by a reminder letter usually giving two more weeks. For women, participation is voluntary. Since January, young people turning 18 have been contacted; by 30 September, 492,800 letters had been sent – 253,000 to men and 239,800 to women. About 96 percent of men replied within the deadline or the extension.
At the end of September the Bundeswehr had 186,200 active soldiers, 4,500 more than a year earlier, according to dpa. The CDU/CSU-SPD coalition reserves the option of introducing needs-based conscription if not enough volunteers come forward. The Left Party had already demanded in the spring that no fines be sent to those refusing.