Romania

The political landscape in Romania is dominated by efforts to form a new government following President Nicușor Dan's designation of Luca Niculescu as Prime Minister. Niculescu has reportedly held his first direct phone conversation with Sorin Grindeanu, the President of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and President of the Chamber of Deputies, indicating the start of negotiations for parliamentary support. Various political parties have reacted to Niculescu's nomination, with the PSD leadership reportedly considering supporting his government for a six-month term, while other parties like USR and AUR have stated their positions on a potential coalition [cite: Adevărul…

In other domestic news, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) faces scrutiny after an investigation revealed the party utilized its mobile application to monitor the real-time location of its members during a recent protest by shepherds. This comes amidst an internal party dispute, as AUR leader George Simion, a Member of the Chamber of Deputies, has accused former party co-founder Marius Lulea of promoting 'euro passing' and supporting Mercosur. Meanwhile, the PSD has renewed its challenge against decisions made by the caretaker Bolojan government after missing previous deadlines.

The ongoing legal issues surrounding former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, who is currently under pretrial detention for 30 days in a fraud case, also continue, with his wife making conflicting public statements. Additionally, the Constitutional Court is set to rule on whether the government is obligated to pay 5 billion lei for outstanding judicial salaries, and a woman has been detained in Constanța for performing illegal plastic surgeries. The owners of Dedeman are disputing the state's offer following a land seizure.