In a recent online discussion organized on May 19, 2021 by the Vienna-based Institut für den Donauraum und Mitteleuropa, ProDem team member Dana S. Trif joined former Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, journalist Carmen Bendovski, historian Kurt Scharr and Berlin-based Romanian expert Janka Vogel in a discussion about the political situation in Romania, six months after the elections of December 6, 2020. What are the long-term effects of the 2017 pro-democracy, anti-corruption protests? Is their impact still felt in Romanian politics? Dana S. Trif joined the other panelists in an assessment of Romania’s current political developments. One major development post-2017 is that USR PLUS, the movement party drawing its roots from the social movement associated with these protests, has become an important coalition member. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll, with the December 2020 elections generating at least one major political surprise. AUR, a far-right populist party, succeeded in convincing 9% of the voters with its nationalist and anti-quarantine message. The COVID-19 pandemic is adding therefore a new layer of volatility to Romanian politics, with the outcome of the 2024 elections still difficult to predict. The whole discussion can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFK_rOXiL-M&t=1622s