Media report: Prien needs to strengthen voluntary companies by regulation | EUROtoday

As of: February 17, 2026 1:36 p.m

According to a media report, Education Minister Prien needs to raised coordinate and strengthen voluntary companies – additionally with a view to a attainable new obligatory navy service. She needs to current a invoice on this matter this 12 months.

Federal Education and Family Minister Karin Prien has introduced a draft regulation for this 12 months that’s meant to raised coordinate and strengthen social companies akin to these within the Bundeswehr and different voluntary companies. To this finish, she may also conduct an intensive dialogue with the nations.

“It’s also about awakening the willingness of people in Germany to get involved in this country and its security,” the CDU politician advised the Rheinische Post.

Create the idea for contemporary neighborhood service

In addition to the Bundeswehr, the intention is to strengthen the federal voluntary service, the youth voluntary service and civil protection and catastrophe safety, mentioned Prien. There is not any neighborhood service so long as there isn’t any obligatory navy service, mentioned Prien. “If obligatory navy service does come about, we wish to have already created the idea for a contemporary civilian service.

Because neighborhood service and voluntary companies are intently intertwined, one additionally has to consider how the voluntary companies might be organized in the absolute best manner sooner or later, Prien advised the newspaper.

Information occasions at faculties

At the identical time, the minister spoke out in favor of Bundeswehr youth officers offering data at faculties. As a parliamentary military, the Bundeswehr is firmly anchored within the Basic Law; its core mission is the protection of the nation. “That’s why it’s right and important that youth officers from the Bundeswehr also go to schools to use their expertise to provide information about the geopolitical and security situation.”

The authorities’s aim is to extend the variety of volunteers within the Bundeswehr. The black-red coalition hopes that sufficient women and men will volunteer for the brand new navy service. If this isn’t the case, obligatory navy service might be launched at a later date.

Caritas and the Greens are calling for secured financing

The President of the German Caritas Association, Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa, welcomed Prien’s announcement. “The submission of a law to strengthen voluntary service is overdue.” In latest years there was “a constant back and forth in the financing of voluntary services,” complained Welskop-Deffaa. “This has to end.”

The Catholic Caritas is Germany’s largest welfare affiliation. Many volunteers and volunteers additionally work in its roughly 25,000 services and companies.

The Greens make comparable statements. They welcome the introduced strengthening of voluntary companies – however on the identical time they’re calling for higher financing. “Strengthening voluntary services is right and overdue, but we must not stop at symbolic politics,” mentioned Green Party parliamentary group vice-president Misbah Khan. “A new legal basis alone will not solve the existing problems.” What is essential is “reliable and adequate financing in the federal budget”.