From 2026, Moldova’s youth get a European Card with service discounts
Young people in the Republic of Moldova could soon benefit from European cards, which would provide discounts and benefits for shopping, theater and film, transportation, and museum visits. The Ministry of Education and Research, in collaboration with the National Youth Agency, is preparing to launch the European card, aiming to implement it in 2026. Currently, the European card is utilized in over 30 countries, and the Republic of Moldova plans to adopt this successful model.
The primary goal of the card is to offer discounts on various services for young people. Many young individuals—such as pupils, students, or interns—do not have steady incomes and often lack the financial resources to access the services or goods they desire. This card serves as a platform for the state institution, together with its partners, to negotiate discounts on transportation and access to social institutions like libraries, bookstores, and theaters, as well as with private partners in areas such as mobile telecommunications. This way, young people can enjoy special discounts via the card," explained Alexandr Petrov, the director of the National Youth Agency, in an interview with Radio Moldova.
According to Petrov, the institution plans to negotiate with numerous operators and partners—both public and private—over the next year to enhance the range of discounts available for services and goods in the Republic of Moldova.
The card will be a universal digital format, available as a mobile application that connects to the European network of opportunities for young people.
"We do not want to burden young people's wallets with yet another plastic card. Instead, we aim to develop this mobile application so it can be downloaded for free by anyone aged 14 to 30 from the App Store or Android. This way, they can benefit from services negotiated by our agencies and the Ministry of Education and Research. We want all young people who install this application on their phones to have access to various opportunities, particularly information on state programs and mobility options, including academic ones. Thus, we have two objectives: one is to reduce costs, and the other is to provide opportunities for young people to engage in socio-economic and educational activities," Petrov stated.
The Director of the National Youth Agency also mentioned that the Electronic Governance Agency and IT specialists are working to ensure that the legislation protecting the personal data of card users is upheld.
"This application will adhere to all requirements and visibility policies of the European card. It will have geolocation capabilities to identify the user’s location. If a young person from the Republic of Moldova is in Romania, the application will recognize their location and offer relevant discounts and opportunities available there. The same applies to young people from Germany who, when visiting Moldova, will have their application identify them and provide access to local opportunities," Petrov explained.
In the community bloc, millions of young people benefit from educational, cultural, and entertainment opportunities made possible by this initiative, making the card an ideal partner for exploration and new experiences.
The project was initiated in 1989, and at the European level, over 30,000 public and private organizations offer various discounts across different countries.
For the past two years, Romania has also been issuing European youth cards free of charge, with the costs covered by the government.
