BERLIN, April 7 (Reuters) – Young men will continue to be able to travel abroad without prior permission despite Germany’s new military service law, the defence ministry said on Tuesday, adding that it would issue a blanket exemption this week to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy.
The law includes a provision requiring men aged 17 to 45 to obtain Bundeswehr permission for stays abroad of more than three months, but the ministry said the rule was designed only for a “state of tension” and would apply only if military service became compulsory rather than voluntary, as it is now.
The law went into effect in January, but the requirement had gone mostly unnoticed until Friday, when it raised concerns.
The law was passed to boost Bundeswehr numbers and meet NATO targets amid the growing view within Germany that it has relied too long on the United States, and as tensions with Russia spur calls for stronger defence capabilities across Europe.
All 18-year-old men are now screened and asked by letter whether they wish to serve voluntarily. Women also receive such a letter, but unlike men, they are not required to respond.
(Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Maria Martinez; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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