The Belgian Defence Committee approved, at a second reading, the draft law enabling a voluntary military service letter to be sent to all 17-year-olds in the country.
The proposal, spearheaded by Peter Buysrogge (N-VA) and co-signed by the majority coalition, will now proceed to the plenary session after the socialist party, PS, requested the approval of the report.
Buysrogge highlighted the robustness of the legislation. The initiative aims to provide every young person, before their 18th birthday, with a personalised letter detailing opportunities for a 12-month voluntary military service.
The text, which had already been approved in the first reading, was confirmed with a few technical adjustments related to translation and terminology.
The proposal was backed by the majority coalition, with additional support from Vlaams Belang and Open Vld.
Left-wing opposition parties voted against, criticising the initiative. Philippe Courard (PS) called it a "legal façade for a personal initiative of the Defence Minister."
While acknowledging global security challenges, Rajae Maouane (Ecolo-Groen) labelled the proposed bill "a waste of public money" and "a publicity stunt for [Minister of Defence] Mr Francken."
Meanwhile, Robin Tonniau (PTB) viewed it as "a push for the militarisation of society," with the workers' party once again using the term "cannon fodder," sparking backlash from several MPs.
Kjell Van der Elst (Open Vld) called the comments "disgusting," while Luc Frank (Les Engagés) emphasised that “Europe is attacked almost daily.”
