Bulgarian high schools are to introduce obligatory military training classes as of 2013, according to the new legislation.

Theoretical military training classes will be available to university students and the general public on a voluntary basis, Bulgarian Defense Minister Anyu Angelov explained Friday, after the Parliament adopted at first reading the new Reserve Military Forces Act.

The aim of the legislation changes is to recruit 3 500 university students or citizens for the voluntary military reserve.

Thus, if a university student decides to join the military reserve and undergo the training, the cost of their education will be assumed by the Bulgarian Defense Ministry.

If a student or a citizen who is not a university student wants to undergo the training without joining the military reserve, they will have to pay for their training whose cost is still unknown.

Those who join the Bulgarian military reserve will be entitled to paid leaves from their employers in the event of an active duty; what is more, the voluntary military training will be considered an advantage when applying for jobs with the military or to military schools.

Males born in 1985 were the last ones subjected to the obligatory draft in Bulgaria, which was then replaced with a professional army.