ABC News June 28, 2018

Emmanuel Macron reinstating compulsory national service in France

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During his presidential campaign in 2017, Emmanual Macron promised to bring back compulsory national service.

Now, 20 years after the end of the military service system in France, President Macron seems poised to deliver on that promise -- the French government has announced that new national service could be put in place as early as next year.

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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to children as he visits a day care center as part of a plan to fight poverty for children and youths in the country, in Gennevilliers, near Paris, Oct. 17, 2017.

In a report published on its website Wednesday, the government says the objective of the service is to "promote engagement of young people in the nation’s life, to value citizenship and reinforce social cohesion.”

The new national service will be divided into two phases, according to the French government: one mandatory for all 16 years-old, and another voluntary.

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During the first mandatory phase, which will last a month, teenagers will live collectively, enabling them to create new relationships and to develop their cultural engagement as well as their role in society, the government announced.

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French President Emmanuel Macron stands with children in the nave of the Pantheon on April 27, 2018 in Paris, during a ceremony in tribute to the victims of French slavery in its colonies and celebrating 170 years since its abolition on April 27, 1848 by French politician Victor Schoelcher who is interred in the Pantheon's crypt.

The second voluntary phase will last at least three months and up to a year. Young French people will be encouraged to serve "in an area linked to defense and security, as well as the environment, heritage preservation or social care," the French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told the press on Wednesday.

French youth organizations have criticized the proposed new national service, however. In an opinion column published this month in French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, 14 organizations opposed to the program argue that teenagers should be able to exercise freedom of choice.

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French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech in Quimper, France, June 21, 2018.

The government says it will start consultations with youth organizations, students' parents and teachers next fall to gather additional ideas and work on logistics, such as housing and supervision of teenagers during the service. The new program is expected to be implemented progressively starting in 2019.