The Role of Civic Education in European Institutions

This paper examines contemporary civic education frameworks within the European context by analysing official educational materials produced by the Council of Europe and the European Council. Against a backdrop of rising political polarisation, democratic backsliding, and growing concerns about youth disengagement, civic education has emerged as a critical tool for fostering informed, active, and responsible citizens. The research question is to what extent the European institutions address such backsliding and how they suggest that democratic education might respond. Through an analysis of key policy documents, curricula, and pedagogical resources, the study identifies the underlying conceptions of citizenship, democratic competencies, and normative goals articulated in the educational materials developed by these two influential European institutions and asks how they relate to the current democratic crisis. Is the crisis ignored, used as an argument to continue as before, or addressed? The analysis reveals both convergences and divergences in how civic values, human rights, and participatory competencies are framed, reflecting differing understandings of the role of civic education amid democratic decline. Both institutions are concerned with promoting democracy amid a democratic decline, though they adopt different approaches to support it. While the Council of Europe’s educational materials emphasise pluralism, human rights education, and inclusive participation, the European Council’s contributions foreground common European values and strategic policy coherence. By situating these findings within broader debates on the role of supranational actors in civic education, this research contributes to theoretical and practical understandings of how civic education can support democratic resilience in Europe.