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Back From policy to practice: how the Republic of Moldova turned a European Framework into a national movement

A decade after the Council of Europe launched its Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, the Republic of Moldova has become one of its most ambitious adopters, embedding democratic values into the core of its national school system.

When the Council of Europe introduced the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) in spring 2016, it offered education systems across the continent a structured model for nurturing active, informed citizens. Ten years on, few countries have embraced it as comprehensively as the Republic of Moldova.

In 2018, Moldova took the decisive step of integrating the RFCDC into a dedicated compulsory subject “Education for Society”, introduced across secondary and upper secondary schools. The Council of Europe swiftly welcomed the reform, recognising it as a meaningful commitment to democratic and European values.

Since 2019, a sustained partnership between the Council of Europe and Moldova’s Ministry of Education and Research has underpinned the rollout of civic education in all secondary schools. Under the “Education for Democracy in the Republic of Moldova” project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2021-2024, teachers received structured professional development, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and pedagogical approaches needed to deliver values-based and competence-oriented education in secondary schools.

Today, the impact of that commitment is visible across the curriculum. Alongside “Education for Society”, five further compulsory and optional subjects are grounded in the RFCDC. The framework has also been integrated into upper secondary technical education and vocational training, a breadth of adoption that places Moldova among Europe’s frontrunners.

The work is far from over. Two years ago, the Ministry launched the development of a new national school curriculum, to be introduced from 2027. The RFCDC sits among its cornerstones. Education for democratic citizenship and human rights education have also gained renewed urgency as Moldova advances its European Union integration process, making the cultivation of shared European values among young people both a pedagogical and a political priority.

The Council of Europe continues to work closely with the Ministry, building on nearly a decade of cooperation. The RFCDC's model for defining learning outcomes, guiding assessment, and promoting participatory and inclusive school environments remains more relevant than ever as democratic values face mounting pressures across the continent.