Compulsory Border Protection Service
The Compulsory Border Guard Service (German: Grenzschutzdienstpflicht) was enacted by the German parliament in the Federal Border Protection Act of 18 August 1972, based on Article 12a of the German Constitution. The remaining provisions of the Federal Border Protection Act were repealed in 1994. However, the compulsory border guard service has not been enforced since 1973. Anyone who serves or served in the Border Guard (German: Bundesgrenzschutz) can no longer be assigned to the military service (§ 42a Conscription Law) in the German Armed Forces (German: Bundeswehr). In 2005 the border guard service has been renamed to Federal Police (German: Bundespolizei).[1]
For the compulsory border guard service, men can be called up begining at the age of eighteen, if they were members of the Federal Police or they did not serve in the military or federal police yet. The mandatory service can only take place, if there are not enough volunteers joining the federal police. If the demand is covert with volunteers again, the service ends at the same time for the already drafted persons.
The employment status is similar to the status during the military service. The service is divided into border protection basic service, border protection exercises and perpetual border protection service in case of defense and in the cases mentionned in article 91 of the constitution. Former members belong to the border protection reserve. The service providers are in a public service and loyalty relationship of a special nature, not in a civil servant relationship. Nevertheless, they have the rights and obligations of a regular federal police officer.
Although the compulsory border guard service remains in the law, since 1994 it need to be put into effect by a resoluton of the parliament.