Around 40 university professors from key higher education institutions in the Republic of Moldova and Romania gathered in Timișoara (Romania) on 17-18 December 2025 to discuss the role and practical application of the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) in pre-service and in-service teacher education. The academic conference was organised within the Council of Europe project “Education for Democracy in the Republic of Moldova”, in cooperation with the Intercultural Institute of Timișoara.

The official opening of the conference highlighted the importance of cross-border academic cooperation and the relevance of the RFCDC for the ongoing curricular and pedagogical reforms in both the Republic of Moldova and Romania. The two countries face similar challenges to their democratic norms and institutions, and it is essential that educators in both Moldova and Romania are better prepared to equip young people with such key competences as valuing democracy and human rights, analytical and critical thinking skills and media literacy.  

During the two-day event, the participants presented and analysed findings from academic research and case studies focusing on the development of competences for democratic culture through civic education, intercultural education, inclusive education, media literacy, the teaching of controversial issues, and the training of civic education teachers. The presentations reflected a wide range of perspectives, from curriculum models and teaching methodologies to the concrete challenges faced in training future teachers across different educational contexts.

“The conference provided a space for dialogue and the exchange of experience between academics and practitioners, contributing to a deeper discussion on the role of universities in preparing teachers capable of promoting democratic values, inclusion and a culture of dialogue in schools and in the society,” said Călin Rus, Director of the Intercultural Institute of Timișoara.

The final conclusions emphasised the importance of the RFCDC as a reference tool for strengthening democratic education, as well as the need to continue academic and institutional cooperation at the regional level.

The event included a pre-conference workshop dedicated to the “Digital Civic Incubator”, an initiative of the Intercultural Institute of Timisoara presented as an example of good practice in promoting competences for democratic culture through the whole school approach.

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The Council of Europe project “Education for democracy in the Republic of Moldova" is implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2021-2024. The Swiss Confederation is one of the donor countries to the Action Plan and the key donor in the field of education for democracy. The project is carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova and in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the United Nations Population Fund in the Republic of Moldova and the Zurich University of Teacher Education within the programme "Moldova: Promoting Active Civic Involvement" for the years 2023-2026.