The bearded traveler, lounging in a rope hammock, whose photo was published by Die Tageszeitung, was he asked for permission to go on vacation in the tropics? For the German left-wing newspaper, the question is crucial, since a new conscription law was passed in the federal republic.
In effect since the beginning of the year, it provides for the reintroduction of a military service based largely on volunteering. But it also brings back a previously suspended legislative provision that requires men aged 17 to 45 to obtain permission to travel for any stay exceeding three months outside of Germany.
A German who wants to spend a semester abroad, take a sabbatical, or even pursue a professional opportunity must therefore obtain the army’s agreement to proceed with his project. A controversial measure that led the Berlin media to mischievously headline: “The Bundeswehr against any deployment abroad, as long as it is private.”
The great oversight of the debates
In Germany, this regulation has caused an uproar among many. Notably because “this obligation was previously absolutely unknown to the general public,” that “its reintroduction was not addressed in the political debates on the new military service,” and that “the Ministry of Defense did not announce this obligation to request permission to leave the country,” as reported by the Tageszeitung in an explanatory article. As if “sunbathing abroad was not important.”
The German Ministry of Defense responded to the controversy by ensuring that “permissions would all be granted by the army, as long as military service remained voluntary.” But it did not specify whether men aged 17 to 45 would still have to inform the Bundeswehr of their comings and goings, so that it knows “who is taking a long stay abroad.”
Known for its distrust of conscription, the Tageszeitung specifies that there are currently no sanctions for those who refuse to comply with the law regarding foreign travel. It also reminds that a possible reintroduction of compulsory military service is still debated and would require a new vote from the Bundestag.
