France

Previous reports: 2024 | 2023/24

Conscription currently imposed?	No	Suspended 1997 under Law 97-1019 Conditions for reinstatement unclear.
Conscientious objection first recognised	1963	Act No 1255/63 of 21st December.
CO release of professional soldiers	–	No specific provisions
Minimum recruitment age	18
Military expenditure1	$ (% change from 2024) Per capita % of GDP 68,008m (+1.5%) $1,021 2.0%

Principal EBCO concerns

• Military-themed programmes form obligatory parts of the education curriculum (Day of Defence and Citizenship).

Voluntary recruitment

President Macron announced a plan to increase military reserves from 45,000 in 2024 to 105,000 by 2035 incentivising young citizens aged 18-25 to undergo voluntary military service, offering salary €800 per month and other benefits including privileges in education and employment.²

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1. Military expenditure figures are estimates published by SIPRI (The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) in April 2026.↩︎
2. https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/voluntary-national-military-service-to-return-to-france/755793#:~:text=Taking%20the%20place%20of%20conscription,is%20currently%20seeing%20a%20revamp.↩︎