German government surveys 23 organizations on civilian service capacity as ASB demands 9-12 month term

Survey of organizations

The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs confirmed on 4 August that it had surveyed 23 large organizations about their capacity to host conscientious objectors in the event conscription is reinstated. The survey was conducted last winter, targeting groups active in voluntary services or previously involved in civilian service before its suspension in 2011. A ministry spokeswoman said 22 of the 23 organizations indicated their infrastructure and placements would be "basically ready" to offer substitute service positions. Seventeen of the 23 had already been active in the old civilian service system. The organizations contacted included the Arbeiterwohlfahrt, Caritas, the German Red Cross, and the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund.

ASB's demands

The Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) set out concrete conditions for a new civilian service. ASB federal chairman Knut Fleckenstein told the Funke media group that the service must last "at least nine, better twelve months" to give young people a chance to learn and connect with their task. He insisted on a significantly higher qualification component, free choice of assignment, and credit for prior voluntary service such as a voluntary social year or engagement in civil protection.

Without real qualification and with a shorter duration, people just sit out their time — that is neither in their interest nor in ours.

Fleckenstein stressed that the ASB generally prefers voluntary formats, but if a compulsory service returns, the organization could accommodate around 2,000 "Zivis" and would need three to six months to build the necessary structures.

Government preparations

The ministry is working on a new Federal Society Service Act (Bundesgesellschaftsdienstgesetz) to modernize the old Civilian Service Act from 2011, which remains in force but is considered outdated. "The old Civilian Service Act is still valid, but many of the regulations it contains were already in need of revision in 2011, so we are preparing a modernization and debureaucratization as a precaution, in the sense of a forward-looking state," the spokeswoman said. The number of civilian service members would depend on whether, when, and to what extent conscription is ordered under §2a of the Conscription Act. The ministry plans to present its proposals after the summer break.

Background

Conscription in Germany was suspended in 2011, ending the civilian substitute service for conscientious objectors. Since early 2026, a mandatory mustering for young men born in 2008 has been in place to recruit volunteers for the planned expansion of the Bundeswehr. If recruitment targets are missed, the Bundestag can decide on a "needs-based conscription," which would trigger the constitutional clause allowing conscientious objection and a substitute service. Union faction leader Thorsten Frei said that if conscription returns, "there would also have to be a corresponding substitute service."

Reactions and outlook

The German Red Cross has warned that without reliable funding and thorough preparation, a political revival could quickly become an organizational failure. Meanwhile, some voices, including President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and former CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann, have long argued that a social service year would benefit society by bringing together young people from different backgrounds and fostering responsibility. The ministry's survey and the ASB's demands mark the first concrete steps toward a possible return of civilian service, though no decision on conscription has been made.