This week, the Government will discuss a bill amending Act No.221/1999 Coll., on Soldiers from the Call-up, as amended; Act No. 585/2004 Coll., on Conscription and its Provision (the Conscription Act), as amended; Act No. 45/2016 Coll., on the Service of Reservists, as amended; and several other related acts. The main objective is to modify the existing conditions for the call-up of a conscripted soldier, simplify the process for applicants, eliminate a number of outdated bureaucratic procedures and strengthen the tools that will help to retain personnel in the armed forces.

The new law should increase the number of applicants for the service of a professional soldier, reduce the number of soldiers who leave the service of their own choice and strengthen the prestige of soldiers in society, thus contributing to the security of the state's defence. The current unsatisfactory personnel situation of our army has been pointed out several times by the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, Gen. Karel Řehka, as well as the Minister of Defence Jana Černochová, who reminded during the December balance conference that the most important parameter is personnel work and the ability to recruit new soldiers. "We are not doing as well as we would like here. I think we have been clear about this with the Chief of the General Staff and at the Commanders' Assembly because we both know that technology without top-notch soldiers will be useless," the minister said in her assessment. She said the army must be able to bring new soldiers into its ranks, but above all retain and motivate the existing ones. 

To this end, the virtual recruitment centre DoArmady.cz is being developed, which, according to the Minister, has recorded an increase of almost 46% in the number of applicants. Approximately 700 people a month express their interest in becoming a professional soldier. The aforementioned amendment to the law on professional soldiers, which increases recruitment allowances, extends benefits for already serving soldiers and generally simplifies administration, is also expected to help.

The continuing unfavourable demographic development reflected in the labour market in general is compounded in the case of applicants for service in the armed forces by the generally deteriorating physical fitness of the younger generation and their associated lower level of health. 

The bill envisages adjustments in three areas, namely:

• Recruitment support
• Support for staff retention
• Ensuring the performance of official tasks

The main measures include:

• Support for recruitment through an increase in the recruitment allowance and its one-time payment, reduction of the criminal record for entry into the Army of the Czech Republic, introduction of the possibility of service for a period shorter than two years.
• Increase in benefits for serving soldiers, concerning the stabilisation allowance, housing allowance and foreign service allowance. The system of reimbursement of commuting costs is also being amended.
• Reduction of the administrative burden in the case of both recruitment, serving professional soldiers and members of the active reserve.
• New obligation to notify a stay abroad outside EU and NATO countries and clarification of confidentiality even after leaving the service.

The impact of the proposed measures on the state budget is calculated at CZK 375 million per year. The Ministry of Defence will cover these expenses entirely from its own chapter without any request for an additional increase. No impact on other public budgets is foreseen.

The proposed legislation has a direct positive impact on the business environment of the Czech Republic as it reduces the administrative burden on employers. The indirect impact can be considered to be the fact that the armed forces have the objective of recruiting more professional soldiers from the labour market and thus reducing the possibility of recruiting them by other employers. Given the projected increase of about 6,000 persons by 2030, this impact is negligible in relation to the labour market shortage of several hundred thousand persons. The law is proposed to take effect from 1 July 2025.