EU countries agree gas price cap: Ministers agreed to trigger a cap if prices exceed 180 euros per megawatt hour for three days on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) gas hub’s front-month contract, which serves as the European benchmark. The cap can be triggered from 15 February 2023 and will apply for one year. Ministers also agreed that it could be switched off if the cap triggered risks to security of supply, financial stability or the risks of increased gas demand. Germany voted to support the deal, despite having raised concerns about the policy’s impact on Europe’s ability to attract gas supplies in price-competitive global markets. reuters.com, theguardian.com

EU cuts gas consumption by 20% over past four months: The number was higher than the voluntary 15% target the EU member states had signed on to in August. Finland led the dive, with gas consumption down 53% between August and November, compared with the average consumption for that period between 2017 and 2021. All but two EU countries showed declines, with major economies Germany, France slicing the amount of gas used by 25 percent and 20 percent, respectively, over that period. Malta and Slovakia showed upticks in gas consumption of less than 10 percent over those four months. france24.com

European Commission clears Germany’s Uniper bailout: The Commission has approved Germany’s 34.5 billion euro plan to recapitalise German natural gas trader Uniper, subject to future state divestment, management pay and acquisitions. The measure aims at restoring the financial position and liquidity of Uniper in the exceptional situation caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the subsequent disruption of gas deliveries. The Commission said Germany had committed to work out a credible exit strategy by end 2023, aiming to reduce its Uniper shareholding to not more than 25% plus one share by end 2028 at the latest. reuters.com

Moldova fears Russian invasion between January and April: Moldova’s spy chief warned of a very high risk of a new Russian offensive towards his country’s east next year and said Moscow still aimed to secure a land corridor through Ukraine to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria. He said his agency believed Russia was looking at several scenarios to reach Moldova and that it was possible an offensive would be launched in January-February or later in March-April. reuters.com

Elon Musk invited to testify in the European Parliament: European Parliament President Roberta Metsola sent a letter to the tech billionaire asking him to appear for a frank exchange in public with lawmakers. „Twitter plays a central role in the democratic life of the European Union and enable[s] the possibility for civil discourse,“ Metsola wrote. „Twitter should not unwittingly become a catalyst for hate speech, election interference and misinformation.“ The move comes after a string of chaotic and controversial measures have prompted alarm in Europe. politico.eu

European Parliament corruption case: Eva Kaili confesses: The disgraced former European Parliament vice president Eva Kaili has reportedly given a partial confession of guilt in a high-profile corruption scandal that has rocked the EU. According to reports, Kaili confessed to ordering her father to hide bags full of cash for her, among other things. Kaili was among several people arrested on 9 December, as part of a sting organised by Belgian authorities investigating corruption, money laundering and foreign influence peddling linked to the EU Parliament. dw.com

Amazon settles EU antitrust row: The EU Commission has announced that it accepted the concessions Amazon made to close inquiries into anti-competitive tactics. Antitrust investigations have found Amazon gave itself an unfair advantage over rival sellers. With the agreement, the company will avoid a legal battle that could have ended with the it facing large fines. dw.com

Frontex appoints new director amid anti-fraud probe: European border agency Frontex has appointed the Dutch military and civilian officer Hans Leijtens as its new executive director. Fabrice Leggeri resigned as Frontex director after initial findings of an investigation by the EU’s anti-fraud watchdog OLAF found that Frontex officials knew about migrants being pushed back into the Mediterranean Sea and did not report it. politico.eu

Countries adopt plan to protect 30% of land and water by 2030: The threat of a mass extinction of plant and animal species led 195 nations early Monday to agree to protect and restore at least 30% of the Earth’s land and water by 2030. The agreement was reached following two weeks of negotiations at the COP15 United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, where arguments over funding temporarily paused talks at one point. time.com

Deal on a more ambitious Emissions Trading System: On Saturday night, MEPs and EU governments agreed to reform the Emissions Trading System to further reduce industrial emissions and invest more in climate friendly technologies. Emissions in the ETS sectors must be cut by 62% by 2030, compared to 2005, which is one percentage point more than proposed by the EU Commission. In order to reach this reduction, there will be a one-off reduction to the EU-wide quantity of allowances of 90 Mt Co2 equivalents in 2024 and 27 Mt in 2026 in combination with an annual reduction of allowances by 4.3% from 2024-27 and 4.4% from 2028-30. europarl.europa.eu

Taliban bans women from universities: The Taliban government has suspended university education for all female students in Afghanistan. Girls were also barred from returning to secondary schools in March. US Ambassador Robert Wood told a United Nations’ Security Council briefing that the “Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all Afghans, especially the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls.” cnn.com