Overview

• Representatives told DPA that SPD and CDU/CSU leaders reached agreement to hold the bill’s first debates in the Bundestag next week.
• The CDU/CSU faction had earlier removed the planned 9 October first reading from the agenda, delaying the process.
• Pistorius called the blockade careless and said differences can be addressed through amendments and expert hearings.
• Bundestag defense committee chair Thomas Röwekamp urged a decision on restoring conscription by summer 2027 and demanded binding annual personnel targets.
• The draft proposes a voluntary Swedish-style system with medical screening and declarations of willingness to serve while preserving an option to reinstate universal conscription, as the ministry targets 260,000 active troops and 200,000 in reserve.