The German military is considering recruiting citizens of other European Union countries to relieve a shortage of specialist personnel, the chief of the country’s defence staff said on Thursday.

“The Bundeswehr must look in all directions and strive to find the right new generation,” General Eberhard Zorn said.

Recruiting citizens of other EU member states to fill specialist roles is “an option”, Gen Zorn told a group of German local newspapers. “For example, we’re talking about medics or IT specialists.”

Gen Zorn’s comments come after the German defence ministry said it was considering the option of widening recruitment to include other EU countries during the summer.

The German government has already consulted with other member states about the proposals, according to the report by the Funke newspaper group. Several reacted cautiously, particularly those from eastern Europe.

Recruiting other EU nationals would be “a kind of normality”, said Hans Peter Bartels, the parliamentary commissioner for the German armed forces. “The Bundeswehr already has many troops with a migration background or who are dual nationals.”

The German proposals follow a move last month to allow more foreign nationals to join the British armed forces. The government lifted a cap on the number of Commonwealth citizens allowed to join without first fulfilling a five-year residency requirement in the UK, as it tries to make up a shortfall of 8,200 troops.