European Bureau for Conscientious Objection: Annual Report on the situation of conscientious objection in Europe 2024
The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) has published, in June 2025, its annual report on conscientious objection in European countries for the year 2024, based on data collected from national governments, human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations, and solidarity networks. Conscientious objection to military service is a fundamental human right, as it falls within the human right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion established by Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and Article 10 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. It is also recognized as a youth right as indicated by the European Youth Forum and the UN 75 Human Rights Declaration.
As outlined in the report, the state of conscientious objection in Europe reflects the climate of increasing international tension and rearmament that characterises our present. The right to conscientious objection is indeed under attack. The report highlights repeated violations of objectors' rights in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece, and new threats in the context of the Council of Europe. A significant action taken by EBCO was the submission of a collective complaint against Greece to the European Committee of Social Rights, aiming to strengthen the protections provided by the European Social Charter.
The report criticizes the European Union's favorable position on rearmament, already materialized in the proposal to increase military spending by 800 billion euros and in the resolution of April 2, 2025, adopted by the European Parliament, which supports the promotion of awareness and educational programs for young generations on the importance of the armed forces. The report highlights that this trend towards militarization will actually have effects contrary to the stated objective of strengthening common security, leading to a weakening of essential services and greater global instability.
EBCO renews its commitment to the international #ObjectWar campaign, offering support to Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian objectors, and fighting for their asylum to be recognized in European countries. It also urges the Russian Federation to respect the right to conscientious objection and cease war propaganda, urging the demilitarization of the education system in occupied Ukrainian areas and hoping for an effective disarmament process. In parallel, it calls on Ukraine to respect this right as well and to end all forms of persecution against objectors and those who support them.
Regarding Italy, the report, based on information provided by Movimento Nonviolento, highlights legislative uncertainties regarding the applicability of provisions for objectors in case of emergency or for professional military personnel. Compulsory military service has been suspended since 2005, following the entry into force of Law 226 of August 23, 2004. However, the political debate on its reintroduction persists, with proposals such as the May 2024 bill by the Lega for six months of compulsory service, or the establishment of a voluntary State Auxiliary Reserve that the Ministry of Defense is working on. Although Italy recognises conscientious objection as a legitimate reason for seeking political asylum, the report raises an issue of information transparency due to the lack of publication of detailed statistics on asylum requests for conscientious objection. Finally, regarding the phenomenon of school militarisation, it emphasises that activities centered on military forces are not a mandatory part of Italian school programs, although there are concerns about potential indirect recruitment activities.
The report, presented to the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Human Rights Commission of the Council of Europe, and national institutions, concludes by providing some recommendations aimed at improving the situation of conscientious objectors at the international level. Specifically, it emphasizes the urgency of fully recognising the right to conscientious objection, establishing an effective alternative civil service, ensuring the protection of at-risk individuals, as well as aligning national laws with international human rights standards and proposing the integration of measures for objectors and nonviolent action as forms of response to emergencies.