Defence and Citizenship Day (''Journée Défense et Citoyenneté'') is a day established in 1998 in France by the French president,

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

, during his first presidential mandate in the context of the national service reform. It is a one-day program that deals with citizenship, Duty of Remembrance, and awareness of defence, army, nation and European issues. It has replaced the

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

. From 1998 to 2010, it was called Defence Preparation Day (''Journée d’Appel de Préparation à la Défense'').

Participants

It is compulsory for all persons of French nationality, both males and females, who live in France or abroad, and is directed at young people aged between 16 and 25 years of age. Certificat_JAPD

Exception

Persons suffering from a serious illness and severely disabled persons are exempted.

Activities

The program lasts one day, usually from 8:00AM to 5:00PM. Participants first start to fill out some administrative papers and then take some exams to evaluate their French text comprehension. Afterwards, participants learn more about the French defence, the European and international geopolitical situations, and also about international agreements. It is also an opportunity for participants to discover army trades (such as technician, soldier, mender, pilot, sailor, tank driver etc.), and the different military training programs. A first aid training has been integrated into the program since 2014.

Certificate

At the conclusion of the program, an individual certificate is issued to each participant. This certificate is needed to take the

baccalaureate Baccalaureate may refer to: * ''Baccalauréat'', a French national academic qualification * Bachelor's degree, or baccalaureate, an undergraduate academic degree * English Baccalaureate, a performance measure to assess secondary schools in England ...

examination (except for persons under 18 years of age), to enrol in a public university, to obtain a driving licence or to apply for any civil servant jobs.

Service national universel

In 2019 the '' Service national universel (SNU)'' was introduced by president

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

and will become a compulsory service in 2021. It will last four weeks' time.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Journée Défense et Citoyenneté
''Minister of Defence (France)''
Defence and Citizenship Day 2012
''Embassy of France in Dublin''
The "Journée défense et citoyenneté", a day of national defense instruction
''

Consulate general of France in Miami The Consulate General of France in Miami is the French diplomatic outpost in Florida. Under the leadership of the Consul General, it represents the interests of France and French People in the state, and provides services for French residents and ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...