Austria’s proposed conscription reform would add approximately €984.6 million to federal expenditure between 2027 and 2031, according to the government’s impact assessment. Annual additional spending would rise from €17.5 million in 2027 to €267.8 million in 2031. The proposal combines six months of basic military service with an additional month of unit training and 60 compulsory reserve exercise days.

Alternative civilian service would increase from nine to eleven months, initially voluntarily in 2027–2028. The longer term would become compulsory from 2029 if military recruitment fell below 13,875 conscripts. The assessment budgets €1.6 million annually for the initial voluntary extension and €7.3 million annually once the compulsory extension takes effect. The reform still requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority, making support from at least one opposition party necessary.

Read the full article in Kurier