Sweden will restore compulsory public service, abolished in 2008, given the worsening security situation in the region as a result of the war in Ukraine, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Monday, as quoted by EFE and Agerpres.

He told a press conference that the move was part of the National Defense Consolidation Project and the Emergency Management Agency (MSB) would be tasked with drawing up a plan on Thursday that would initially focus on municipal emergency services.

“We notice that currently these services are not of the necessary size in case of an alarm or an armed attack. The experience of Ukraine is obvious when it comes to the protection of the civilian population and the active activity of rescue units,” Swedish Minister of Civil Defense Karl-Oscar Bolin explained at the same press conference.

“Public service” means that citizens of Sweden may be called upon to support the authorities in medical measures or emergency services, for their proper functioning in case of alarm or war.

How many people Sweden wants to get into the civil service

The re-introduction of the civil service will initially involve 1,500 to 2,000 people who will have to undergo a training program.

A report prepared last autumn by the Emergency Management Agency suggested the need to train around 3,000 people over the next five years.

Sweden has taken several steps to bolster its defenses over the past decade, citing tensions with Russia in the region, and in 2017 reinstated conscription, which was suspended seven years ago.

The new right-wing government installed three months ago in Stockholm has also expressed its intention to increase the defense budget to 2% of GDP by 2026, in line with the target of NATO, the organization that Sweden and Finland have decided to join. on the terms put forward by Turkey and on which negotiations are ongoing.