The Interior Ministry on Wednesday presented a regulation governing civilian service for conscripts who invoke conscientious objection, saying the programme will last three months and be carried out within units of the Civil Protection Directorate.
Conscripts will undergo training aimed at developing key skills for responding to crisis situations, officials said at a press conference.
State Secretary Irena Petrijevčanin said the training programme would consist of 495 teaching hours over three months and be divided into three phases: basic training, specialist training and practical exercises.
Basic training will last 70 hours over 10 working days, followed by 161 hours of specialist instruction over 23 days, and 264 hours of practical training over 33 days, she said.
Participants will be trained in core civil protection tasks, including search and rescue operations in debris and floods, as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protection and remediation duties. Testing and evaluation will follow the training to ensure programme quality.
Civilian service will take place at regional training centres in Jastrebarsko, Divulje and Bizovac, where accommodation and meals will be provided. Those assigned to local government units will serve in their place of residence.
Petrijevčanin said the exact start date had yet to be determined, adding that although deployment to Jastrebarsko is planned for May 4, the timeline depends on the number of conscripts called up for military training and those filing conscientious objections.
“This training provides civilian conscripts with valuable knowledge and skills for effective response and assistance in natural disasters, earthquakes, floods, accidents and other emergencies,” she said.
Acting Civil Protection Directorate head Neven Karas said the system was ready to begin.
“Everything is prepared. Once we fill at least one class with recruits – currently only 13 have filed for conscientious objection – we can start the training,” Karas said.