Councils of Rectors from Romania and the Republic of Moldova support the european path of our country

Rectors of over 80 Romanian universities and 18 universities of the Republic of Moldova met in Chisinau, during the meeting of the Council of Rectors from the Republic of Moldova and the National Council of Rectors (CNR) from Romania. The event was organized on September 13 with the support of the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova within the Government of Romania, providing a favorable framework for the consolidation of inter-institutional relations between the universities on both banks of the Prut, in the context of the Republic of Moldova obtaining the status of candidate country for the European Union and the higher education reform.

"The close collaboration at the university level will create a proper environment for exchange of experience and good practices, thus contributing to the adjustment and improvement of the higher education and research system in the Republic of Moldova according to European standards, creating, at the same time, opportunities for the development of Romanian universities" , stated at the opening of the joint conference Prof. Emil Ceban, president of the Council of Rectors from the Republic of Moldova, rector of Nicolae Testemitanu  State University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

The Council of Rectors from the Republic of Moldova will have the status of a permanent guest at all meetings of the National Council of Rectors (CNR) in Romania, which will contribute to strengthening relations for our country's accession to the EU, as "the integration of Moldovan universities into the European academic environment is a very important aspect", in the opinion of the president of the CNR from Romania - Prof. Sorin Mihai Cimpeanu, vice-president of the Romanian Senate and president of the Francophone University Agency, rector of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest. 

"I would like to learn from the experience of Romanian universities, whether it is about attracting foreign students, or about internationalization and good practices. Our success rate depends only on us, on the funds we are going to attract for the implementation of European projects and programs", said Dan Perciun, Minister of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova.

Adrian Dupu, State Secretary of the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova within the Government of Romania, came with a greeting message: "We made support for education one of our priorities and collaborated with almost all universities in the Republic of Moldova. There are dozens of funding projects in infrastructure and research, which benefit hundreds of students and academics. Today, when for the Republic of Moldova European integration is not just a dream, but a process that is as visible and tangible as possible, I believe that these collaborations in the academic field are very important, and the presence of rectors from Romania constitutes the support of the academic environment for this very important endeavor - the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European Union".

For his part, Bogdan-Gruia Ivan, Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitization of Romania, announced the launch of a bilateral Program Romania-Republic of Moldova, worth about 90 million Moldovan lei, through which the brightest minds from the two countries will collaborate to come up with significant concepts and ideas regarding the future of research in both countries. The Romanian official emphasized the advantage of bilateral relations, namely the fact that we speak the same language, as well as making available the research infrastructure of Romanian universities to those in Moldova and creating a common space for research funding. At the same time, the Romanian minister stated that a working group would be created to advise the rectors of universities in the Republic of Moldova on how they would be able to access European funding programs.

The Secretary General of the National Council of Rectors from Romania - Mihnea Costoiu, rector of the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest emphasized that the European integration of the Republic of Moldova would bring the universities and young people, students and teachers from Moldova major advantages which the Romanian academic communities had also benefited from. "We came to explain how important it is to support this integration in the European structures, not only of the state institutional ones, but also of our universities. The direction on which the colleagues from Moldova embarked is very important",  Rector Costoiu specified.

Next, several presentations have been made on trends in higher education in Europe, the quality assurance system in university education and education funding. A special moment included the interventions of students from Romanian universities, who spoke about the support given to colleagues from the Republic of Moldova, their participation in this rectors' meeting being highly appreciated. Besides, Gheorghe Buruiană, president of the Association of Medical Students and Residents greeted the audience and expressed thanks for the cooperation in exchange programs with students from Romanian universities.The rectors of the universities from Romania and the Republic of Moldova reconfirmed their commitment to develop the strategic partnership and increase bilateral collaboration, through open dialogue and exchange of ideas regarding the internationalization of university education and its connection to the requirements of the labor market. Among the topics addressed were the initiation of new dual education programs, the implementation of joint scientific research projects, participation in joint international programs, etc. Also, the importance of bilateral dialogue, speeding up and streamlining communication in this crucial period of transition was highlighted, providing a suitable framework for facilitating the integration of universities from the Republic of Moldova into the European academic community.

The meeting culminated with the adoption and signing of a joint resolution, by which the rectors' councils of the two states expressed their support for the European path of the Republic of Moldova, through active cooperation to offer solutions pertaining to the encouragement of our country's accession to the European Union.

In this context, the National Council of Rectors from Romania will take all steps for the Council of Rectors from the Republic of Moldova to obtain full membership status in the European University Association (EUA), as well as in other European associative structures.

"The National Council of Rectors from Romania and Romanian universities will take the necessary steps to integrate the universities of the Republic of Moldova into the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), into the European Research Area (ERA), as well as in other European associative structures relevant to EHEA and ERA.

The National Council of Rectors and Romanian universities, members of the European alliances of universities, will start discussions and negotiations with the members of the European alliances of which they are a part, with a view to the admission of universities from the Republic of Moldova to these structures", the document states.

At the same time, in order to increase the degree of internationalization of universities in the Republic of Moldova, the National Council of Rectors and Romanian universities will support the active and extensive participation of higher education institutions from our country in European programs dedicated to universities.

Respectively, the National Council of Rectors from Romania and the Council of Rectors from the Republic of Moldova ask the governments of both countries to support the efforts of the universities of the two countries to participate in joint mobility, research and internationalization programs and projects for the benefit of students, teaching staff and researchers.

The Romanian universities reaffirmed their openness and availability for the universities of the Republic of Moldova to benefit from access to the Romanian didactic and research infrastructure, in order to increase their research capacity.

At the end of the Resolution it is stipulated that "Considering European values ​​and good practice models, the National Council of Rectors from Romania supports strengthening the autonomy of universities in the Republic of Moldova. In this context, the National Council of Rectors from Romania urges the Moldovan authorities to accelerate and expand the reform process so that the universities of the Republic of Moldova benefit from a real university autonomy (academic freedom, governance, financial) for the benefit of the academic communities, as well as the entire Moldovan society".

The joint rectors' conference brought together representatives of the academic and educational environment from the two countries. Among the guests of honor were: the EU High-Level Adviser in the field of education and research in the Republic of Moldova - Daniel Funeriu; the General Secretary of the National Council of Rectors from Romania – Mihnea Costoiu, Rector of the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest; the President of the National Council for the Financing of Higher Education in Romania - Silviu Pituru; the Vice President of the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education - Teodor Ioan Trasca and other prominent personalities from the academic environment of both countries.

The event was hosted by the Technical University of Moldova, in the context of events dedicated to the celebration of the institution's 60th anniversary on September 12-15, 2024.

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