At the 13th edition of the Europa University dinner-conference, a political training initiative of the PSD, Nuno Melo also defended that military service could be an alternative for young people who commit minor offenses instead of being placed in institutions that, "in most cases, only work as a school of crime for life."

"How many of these young people, if instead of being institutionalized without any conditions, could serve in the military, have the opportunity to train, exercise authority, and learn values, could not later become much better citizens and simply were not given that opportunity?" he asked.

Both in his initial speech and in his response to questions from the "students" of this political training initiative, the Minister of Defense rejected the return of mandatory military service.

"We do not need mandatory military service, and there are not even any political conditions at this time to impose it. But there are a number of possibilities that involve situations already experienced in other countries, such as Sweden," he said.

Nuno Melo gave the example of "a year of voluntary military experience" that, in the end, could give young people "an easier time entering university" or "joining the civil service in certain areas" and could be "a way" for those who like military life to end up signing a contract with the Armed Forces.

"We have to create conditions so that young people can have this option, which has to be attractive, and we are going to try to do that," he said, appealing to the approximately 70 young people present at the Europa University to "have this experience."

"Help show the entire country that the Armed Forces are not a thing of the past, but our identity. I assure you that many of you would like it," he added.

At a dinner on the theme "The EU of Defense and Security," the minister also warned of what he considered to be an injustice in the treatment of military personnel when they fight fires.

"The only difference is that while a firefighter fighting fires and other entities receive a supplement for it -- and rightly so, because we are talking about highly dangerous functions -- a military person does exactly the same thing and does not receive more for it, and that is one of the things I want to change," he said.

Nuno Melo reiterated the PSD/CDS government's commitment to "doing justice" to veterans and criticized the PS executives in matters of Defense.

"Every time the left has governed, the Armed Forces have marked time," he criticized, regretting those who put the investment made in submarines "on the side of anecdotes."

The Minister of National Defense pointed to NATO as the first guarantee of global peace and promised that the country will "realistically" move towards the commitment to invest 2% of its Gross Domestic Product in Defense and strengthen its commitment to military university education and the military industry.

Nuno Melo also recalled the role of Gouveia e Melo, former coordinator of the Vaccination Plan against COVID-19, now Chief of Staff of the Navy.

"With COVID, things went well because the person in charge was capable, but he was also capable because he is a military man. Anyone who knows military culture knows that it is made up of planning, of goals that are set and met to the millimeter," he said.

At the end of the dinner-conference, the leader of the CDS-PP also recalled that the European elections will be held in a month and a half and appealed to the young people participating in this 13th edition of the Europa University: "We have to win, and that depends on many of you," he said.

The European elections will be held in Portugal on June 9, and the PSD, CDS-PP, and PPM will once again run on a joint list of the Democratic Alliance (AD) coalition.

[News updated at 06:19]

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