The aims, structure, methods and educational experiences employed in the training of rheumatologists vary from one national programme to another, according to traditions, rules and resources. Mutual recognition of titles, the free movement of labour and the striving towards for high-quality standards in medical care in Europe demand that efforts and progress are made to ensure that similar competencies are achieved by different programmes. The European Rheumatology Curriculum Framework, developed by the European Board of Rheumatology, is meant to be a step towards the harmonization of rheumatology specialist training within the European Union, by providing a reference framework to the development and benchmarking of national curricula for the specialist training of rheumatologists. The European Rheumatology Curriculum Framework has now been endorsed by scientific and educational bodies in 17 member countries. It has been provided with a contextualized review of good practice in curriculum planning and development - the European Board of Rheumatology Educational Guide.