According to the Ipsos poll commissioned by Le Parisien, 86% of French citizens support the reinstatement of military conscription, which was abolished in 2001.

In particular, 53% of respondents favor compulsory military service, although only 32% of them believe that it should be extended to women.

Another 33% of those surveyed would prefer voluntary service.

Young people under 35 showed the least support for the idea of restoring military service: while 78% approve of its return in principle, only 41% believe it should be compulsory.

Regarding the gender distribution of opinions, 39% of men support compulsory service for all, compared to only 26% of women.

At the same time, 24% of women support compulsory service only for men, while 19% of men share that view.
France abolished compulsory military service in 2001, becoming one of the first major European countries to switch to a fully professional army.

Reintroducing conscription in Europe

After the start of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, European countries began to reconsider their military policies, particularly regarding the restoration of conscription.

Latvia was one of the first to reinstate it, adopting the decision in April 2023. In 2024, the first conscripts began their service, which includes 11 months of military training for men aged 18-27.

Lithuania, which partially restored conscription in 2015 due to the growing threat from Russia, carried out a reform in December 2023, expanding the scope of conscription and changing the conditions of military training.

In 2024, Croatia and Serbia joined these changes, announcing the restoration of conscription in August and September, respectively.

At the same time, active discussions about restoring conscription are ongoing in Germany and Poland.

Germany, which abolished compulsory military service in 2011, is facing growing security threats and a shortage of military personnel, which is pushing the government to consider various models for reinstating conscription.

In Poland, experimental “Vacations with the Army” programs were introduced.