Eurotopics.net

Four weeks after the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot have travelled to Damascus to strengthen relations between the EU and the transitional government. The new ruler, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said that the country will need four years to create the conditions for free elections.

The transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian pipelines to Europe came to an end at the start of the new year after Kyiv refused to negotiate an extension of contracts with Moscow. The network of pipelines running between EU members is making up for the loss of Russian gas supplies in these states, but Transnistria, which has broken away from Moldova, is experiencing major problems, with thousands of households and industrial facilities left without gas and also electricity at times.

Anonymous witness statements have been admissible in Swedish courts since the beginning of the year. The new regulation which the conservative government - supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats - hopes will help to curb gang crime has been fiercely criticised by major institutions such as the country's Council on Legislation. Opinions also differ in the press.

Poland has taken over the EU Council presidency under the motto "Security, Europe!". For the next six months Warsaw will lead the Council meetings at which the governments of the EU member states prepare and make decisions together. Europe's press discusses the new presidency and compares it with the Hungarian one, which was highly contentious.

Estlink 2, a submarine power cable running between Finland and Estonia, was cut and other cables were damaged on Christmas Day. After departing from Russia, the oil tanker Eagle S was detained by the Finnish coast guard with a missing anchor and seven of its crew members are now under investigation. Europe's media see Moscow's 'shadow fleet' as an instrument of hybrid warfare – and call for tougher countermeasures.