NATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE

INTRODUCTION 

Italy is preparing the way for a fully voluntary military service from 2005.  Today there are around hundreds thousands conscripts each year, of which some 65,000-75,000 choose instead to do a civilian service as conscientious objectors.  By 2005 there will be no compulsion, but young men and women can instead choose to do a voluntary civil or military service. 

The legal provisions that establish the regulatory scheme on voluntary civil service are ruled by the Laws 64/2001 and 230/1998. Volunteers can be placed in projects of civil service in Italy, or abroad either in Europe or developing countries

The service is linked to the promotion of social solidarity, the promotion of national and international solidarity and co-operation, the protection of national state environmental, historical and artistic property, and civil protection.

In the meantime (till 2005) the law 64/2001 allows and foresees the possibility for a National Civil Service open to women and men who are exempt from military service on medical grounds.

A specific office under the “Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri” - National Office for Civil Service (from now on UNSC) - manages the programme.  They first have to approve the projects, and each of them can include an unlimited number (till now) of individual placements for volunteers.  The projects must have clear activities, aims and offer the possibility for credits or skills development.  Once approved, the projects are published in an Official Journal.  A call for volunteers is subsequently launched, and young people have 1 month to apply directly to the organisations running the projects.  The organisations are then given 15 days to select the candidates through an interview process, and to send through the relevant documentation and provisional candidates lists to the UNSC.

The ‘Decreto del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri’ (DPCM) of 10 August 2001 and the one of 5 April 2002 n. 77 defines the conditions of the voluntary civil service and the volunteers status.  It applies the same rules as for conscientious objectors with regards to the volunteers’ legal and economic conditions. Some slight difference there is between those volunteers serving in Italy and those serving abroad.

IF YOUR ORGANIZATION IS INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING WITH AFSAI PLEASE WRITE TO: ncs@afsai.it.