The minister of education and research, Daniel David, who is currently visiting the USA, signed a new agreement for the development of the FLEX – Future Leaders Exchange Programmes for Romania and FLEX Abroad, with the funds to be provided equally by our country and the United States (50%-50%).

Representatives of the US State Department participated in the ceremony organised on Monday by the American Council for International Education (ACIE), and our country’s delegation also included the Romanian ambassador to the USA, Andrei Muraru, and the rector of the National School of Political Science and Public Administration (SNSPA), Remus Pricopie.

„This programme brings significant benefits to Romania, representing an investment in youth, education, and the democratic future of the country, and, at the same time, serves the interests of the United States as part of its international commitment, the programme contributing to the strengthening of the Euro-Atlantic democracy. We have now committed to resume the programme for the 2026-2027 school year, and, based on the analysis of the functioning of the new mechanism, we will assess the modalities of continuation for the following years. I thank my American colleagues for their openness to our proposal to continue the programme, in a revised format, co-financed equally by Romania (50%) and the United States (50%),” the minister stated.

The FLEX and FLEX Abroad programmes are supported by the US Department of State and run through ACIE. Since the programme started in Romania in 2015, approximately 300 young Romanian high school students have volunteered in communities across the U.S., getting involved in child abuse prevention projects, creating food banks, community activities, and even collaborating with local police departments.

Starting in 2024, American students participating in the FLEX Abroad Program in Romania, through the relationships they build with host families in our country, teachers, peers, and the local community, become true ambassadors of the U.S. During their stay in Romania, they develop their communication skills in Romanian through intensive courses taught by Romanian teachers, and learn about Romanian culture, society, and values, becoming actively involved in the life of the local community.

Also on Monday, minister Daniel David had a working meeting at the Atlantic Council, an American think tank with global influence in promoting transatlantic collaboration, visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) and had discussions at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

„In these contexts, the Romanian Minister of Education and Research proposed the idea of a specific education-science approach within the Atlantic Council section in Romania and mentioned, during the visit to the USHMM, the reform of the high school curriculum in our country, which includes subjects and themes dedicated to the Holocaust and totalitarianism, through which young people must learn about their horrors, in order to prevent them in the future,” the press release states. AGERPRES