Liberals

In a joint meeting on Wednesday, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate appointed members to the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania (BNR), the Fiscal Council, and also nominated the chairman of the National Audio-Visual Council (CNA). The voting was secret, with ballot papers.

Former Romanian president Ion Iliescu's interview with French newspaper Le Figaro has sparked controversy in Bucharest, after he criticized the ruling party, which he once led, and then tried to retract the statements - prompting the newspaper to release the recording to the media.

National leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) Calin Popescu-Tariceanu says a bid for the presidential election of 2019 would not scare him, but at this moment he is not drawn by any huge ambition to run.

Romania's Social Democrat-led government survived a no-confidence motion on Wednesday - but faced more turbulence outside parliament, where thousands of anti-corruption protesters gathered to demand Prime Minister Viorica Dancila's resignation.

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila announced that the activity of each minister in her Cabinet will be assessed on a monthly basis, together with the leaders of the Social Democrat Party (PSD) - the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) coalition, Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu Tariceanu.

Romania's new Social Democrat government, led by the country's first woman Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila, was sworn in on Monday.

However, there was criticism from the opposition about the alleged lack of expertise among some ministers and about a governance plan that has raised fears of further economic uncertainty.

Moldova's government appointed a new defence minister on Tuesday after a lengthy row over the post between the pro-European, Democratic Party-led cabinet and pro-Russian President Igor Dodon.

Eugen Sturza, 32, was sworn in at a ceremony at the presidential palace led by parliament speaker Andrian Candu, acting as interim president while Dodon was briefly suspended.

Leaders of the European institutions refrain from commenting on the Catalan referendum, confirming the Brussels line for the past few weeks to avoid "Catalonia" questions.

The violence was condemned by the Social Democrat leaders in the European Parliament and the Liberals, noting that the referendum was illegal and invalid, according to NOVA.

In an interview with the German Zeit on the first week of July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he had no problem with German Chancellor Angela Merkel but missed the years when Germany was led by Gerhard Schroeder.

Romania's ruling Social Democrats readied on Monday for consultations with President Klaus Iohannis on naming a new Prime Minister, having impeached their own cabinet last week.

Iohannis stressed that his main concern was the new Prime Minister's integrity, adding that he would not appoint a candidate who had been sentenced for any type of crime, including corruption.