Germany's New Travel Rules for Young Men

0:00It's April 4th. Welcome to Global News Today, powered by AI and Connected Worldwide. German men between 17 and 45 now need government approval for stays abroad, longer than three months. Thanks to a new military law that kicked in on January 1st. It's part of the Military Service Modernization Act aimed at beefing up defenses after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The rule comes from an old 1956 conscription law, updated last year, to make sure the military knows where young guys are at all times. Earlier this week, the Frank Furter Run-Show newspaper spotlighted this change, which had flown under the radar. A defense ministry spokesman told the BBC, it's about building a solid registration system for emergencies so they can track who's out of the country, long term. Approvals are supposed to be routine, but they're working on exemptions to cut red tape, and it's unclear what happens if someone skips the step. Young people aren't thrilled. Protests erupted when parliament passed the law in December, with folks online saying

1:02they don't want to waste time in. Barracks learning to fight. Back in the day, Germany had compulsory service until Chancellor Angela Merkel ended in 2011 and the Army shrank big time post, Cold War. Now, Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to rebuild it into Europe's top force. The Act pushes voluntary service, so starting this year, all 18-year-olds get a questionnaire about joining up. From July 2027, they'll face fitness checks to see if they're draft ready in a crisis. Women can volunteer, but can't be forced, and if volunteers don't show, compulsion might return as personnel ramps from 180,000 to 260,000 by 2035. Meanwhile, officials say this mirror is Cold War rules that never really bit. As Europe eyes a tougher security scene, Germany's quietly tightening the reins on travel to stay battle ready without full conscription yet.