spain has 40 percent unemployent rate : this is why

Conscription ends in Spain after 230 years
By Isambard Wilkinson in Madrid 12:00AM BST 29 May 2001

SPAIN'S last conscripts have formally passed out, marking the beginning of the end for 230 years of obligatory military service.

As conscripts lined up on the Spanish Foreign Legion parade ground in Almeria to kiss the national flag, military stalwarts lamented the passing of a cherished tradition. They could take limited solace from the fact that Spain's last conscript, Jose Luis Betaloza Gonzalez, 18, said he wanted to become a professional soldier.

Next year Spain's military will be an entirely professional force for the first time since King Carlos III introduced conscription in 1770. The end of conscription has spelt recruitment problems for the armed forces. The Defence Ministry has acknowledged that with 76,000 volunteers serving at present, it is still 10,000 below its target figure.