Weekly overview in pictures: Anti-war protest in Bucharest | Leadership change in the ruling Liberal Party | EU Commissioner Gentiloni visits RO

This weekly overview brings you the main topics from Romania, in pictures. As the war in Ukraine continues, so do the protests for peace. To remember the children killed in the military conflict, dozens of pairs of kids’ shoes were placed in a Bucharest square this past weekend. The March 28-April 3 week collection also includes photos from a PNL Council held after the Liberal leader resigned, the visit of EU Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni to Romania, and a micro forest project in Timisoara.

Protesters in Bucharest lined up kids’ shoes in Universitatii Square in Bucharest to honour the memory of children killed in the war in Ukraine. Demonstrators also carried flags of Ukraine and sang the country’s anthem, according to local Libertatea. The protest, organized by the Association of Young Ukrainians in Romania on April 2, ended with a march to the Embassy of Ukraine to Bucharest. Another anti-war protest was also staged on April 3.

Romanian Liberals held a National Council on Sunday, April 3, to discuss the party’s next steps after their president resigned. PNL leader Florin Citu announced his resignation on April 2, and the Liberals decided to appoint Gheorghe Flutur as acting president. Prime minister Nicolae Ciuca is reportedly expected to be elected as the new leader of PNL at the upcoming Congress scheduled for April 10. PNL - the National Liberal Party is part of Romania’s ruling coalition, alongside the Social Democrats (PSD) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians (UDMR).

President Klaus Iohannis welcomed European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest on Monday, March 28. The talks focused on the Russian aggression against Ukraine and its economic and humanitarian impact. The two officials also discussed the energy prices, the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the budgetary situation in Romania.

During his visit to Romania, Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni also met with the country’s finance minister Adrian Caciu on March 28. The war in Ukraine and the PNRR were again the main topics of discussion. During the joint press conference with the Romanian minister,