Moldova to set up Erasmus Agency in Chisinau by 2028

Moldova will set up an Erasmus Agency in Chisinau by 2028. The agency will provide new opportunities for universities and students of the country. Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun has made statements to this effect.

“This week, we have advanced discussions regarding the Erasmus+ Programme. Our colleagues have been to Brussels. It is a major area of interest for our country; it is an obligation in the EU accession process and opens up new opportunities for universities and students. We will establish an Erasmus Agency in Chisinau by 2028. We have started the engines, begun the process alongside colleagues in Brussels. It will require resources, but this will mean Moldova becomes a full member of the Erasmus+ programme,” said Dan Perciun in a live intervention on his Facebook page.

The education minister noted that the establishment of the national Erasmus+ Agency would allow Moldovan students to benefit from more opportunities to study in universities abroad for short periods of time and would also provide possibilities for academic mobility and experience exchanges for teachers. At the same time, students from EU countries will be able to come to study in our higher education institutions for certain periods of time.

“This means more academic mobilities and chances for our students to study for a semester abroad, short-term mobility for our teachers to go on experience exchanges and for us to receive EU students for short-term in our universities. It is a strategic but very important dimension. Results will be seen over time,” said Dan Perciun.

This week, representatives from the Ministry of Education and Research participated in a multilateral workshop in Brussels, aimed at improving the level of preparedness of candidate and potential candidate countries for the Erasmus programme.

“Moldova's participation in this workshop is an important step in advancing the process of full association with the Erasmus+ Program. This will contribute to strengthening institutional capacities, modernizing the national educational system, and expanding mobility, cooperation and training opportunities for students, teachers and educational institutions of our country,” said Ludmila Pavlov, the deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Education and Research.

The participants in the seminar exchanged experiences with representatives from countries that had recently joined the programme, such as Lithuania, Croatia, Slovakia and Serbia. Experts from these countries presented best practices regarding indirect management, work and monitoring of National Erasmus+ Agencies, as well as the steps required for authorities to prepare for association with the programme.

The new cycle of the Erasmus+ Programme will provide candidate countries with additional funding tools for general education, vocational training, youth and sports, in addition to higher education. The programme will also support the development of skills for people in the educational system and those outside of it through various key actions.

Erasmus+ is an EU program that supports mobility and cooperation in education, training, youth and sports in participating countries. It offers opportunities for students, pupils, youth and staff in these areas to study, train, or participate in projects abroad, focusing on social inclusion, digital and green transitions and young people’s participation in democratic life.

For the 2021-2027 period, the programme included a budget of 26.2 billion euros, complemented by 2.2 billion euros from additional EU instruments, in order to give more than 10 million people the opportunity to study, train and gain experience abroad.