Overview
- Alice Rufo, the junior minister for the Armed Forces, said work is underway and emphasized that participation would be voluntary.
- Reporting outlines a roughly ten‑month program paying about €900–€1,000 per month, with one scenario starting with 3,000 volunteers in 2026 and scaling toward 50,000 by 2035.
- Other models under consideration envision annual intakes ranging from about 10,000 to 50,000 participants, with final decisions on scope and costs still pending.
- Sources cited by La Croix say a presidential announcement could come on Thursday, though the Élysée has not confirmed the timing.
- The initiative is presented as a way to create a mobilisable pool and reinforce social cohesion, while the separate SNU program is reported to be scrapped on January 1, 2026 after substantial experimental spending flagged by the Cour des comptes.