EBCO publishes the 2025 Annual Report on conscientious objection to military service in Europe

Each year, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) produces its Annual Report on Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe, drawing on contributions from governments, national human rights institutions, NGOs, and solidarity groups, before presenting it, alongside targeted recommendations, to the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, and various State authorities. 

In May 1016, the 2025 report was released against a backdrop of accelerating militarisation, rising defence budgets, and ongoing armed conflicts that are progressively narrowing the space for fundamental rights, including the right to conscientious objection. The report documents structural shortcomings and deteriorating conditions for conscientious objectors, draft evaders, and deserters across Europe, highlighting practices of criminalisation, administrative harassment, and social stigmatisation.  Renewed debates over conscription in several countries, the appointment of a new EU Special Envoy for freedom of religion or belief, and EBCO's active engagement within the European Youth Forum all further underscore the urgency of protecting and promoting conscientious objection as a universal and indivisible right. 

In this context, EBCO reiterates its general recommendations to all European States:

• Abolish compulsory military service or, alternatively, offer a genuine civilian alternative service which should be non-punitive, non-discriminatory, and independent from the military system.
• Legally recognise the right to conscientious objection in all circumstances, protecting objectors' civil, economic, and political rights, and allowing serving members to be released without penalty.
• Protect conscientious objectors from discrimination, recognising their right as part of freedom of religion and belief, and ensuring they are not presumed guilty of any crime.
• Stop recruiting and militarily training under-18s immediately.
• Grant asylum to those fleeing countries with no adequate provision for conscientious objectors, particularly where they risk being forced into armed conflict.
• Reduce military spending and increase social investment, allowing objectors to redirect their taxes away from military expenditure.
• Introduce peace education across all levels of the education system, preventing any militarisation of curricula.
• Include conscientious objectors in emergency planning, ensuring they are never compelled to bear arms under any circumstances.

As Daniele Taurino, President of EBCO, declares: the report serves as an important tool for advocacy and documentation that underlines that “the refusal to participate in war is not only a protected right, but a necessary condition for building a just and lasting peace.”