Democracy, closely related to education

The connection between education and the conscious exercise of the right to vote is a very close one. Higher education institutions are, by their mission, "anchors" for solid democracies and it is essential that they represent examples and democratic engines for society, said the Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, at the first edition of UNICA Days, which took place in Brussels. The minister stated: "Regarding the democratic mission of universities, in the perspective of the elections for the European Parliament, I expressed my confidence that civic education - the foundations of which are laid in Romania since primary education and continues in higher education - will determine young people to exercise as much as possible their right to vote, a fundamental right in a democratic society. Higher education institutions, by their mission, are anchors for solid democracies and it is essential to represent examples and democratic engines for society, idea which was taken up in the debates regarding the role of universities". UNICA is the Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe. It was founded in 1990 and currently consists of 53 universities in 40 European capitals, including 1,500,000 students and over 150,000 university staff members. From Romania, the University of Bucharest, the Academy of Economic Studies and the "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy are participating. The first edition of UNICA Days had the theme "Looking towards the future: strengthening democracy through education and research". Members of the European Governments, the European Commission, the student organizations of the Council and the European Parliament were present, along with rectors, vice-rectors and other members of the academic community. The Informal Meeting of the Ministers of Education was also held in Brussels, the discussions focusing on student mobility and its impact on higher education systems in the European Union.

"We proposed that European support should focus on increasing the Erasmus+ budget, with the possibility for Member States to supplement the funds from the ESF+ budget. We also brought up the importance of generalizing digitization initiatives such as Erasmus Without Papers and the Erasmus Student Card to significantly improve the process and the experience as a whole", stated Ligia Deca. Within the Erasmus+ program, in Romania, in the last 10 years, over 76,000 outgoing mobilities and 40,000 incoming mobilities have taken place, with relevant annual increases.