DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Vietnam made a big splash at COP28 by announcing details of a $15.5 billion, G7-backed plan to shutter its coal industry — but British diplomats worry that Hanoi is not fully on board, according to briefing notes seen by POLITICO. The plan drew praise at an event on December 1 alongside the opening of the U.N. climate conference in Dubai, where Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính joined European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.K. Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho in heralding the release of a detailed blueprint for spending the cash promised b ..read more

BRUSSELS — The U.K. Labour Party wants a much closer relationship with the EU, France and Germany on defense, if it takes power after a general election in 2024. Shadow Defense Secretary John Healey told POLITICO that Labour will upend the Tories’ defense and security policy, by aiming to deepen military cooperation around the EU. “We would look to put in place systematic cooperation and a defense and security pact with the European Union,” Healey said following a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday. “We would begin work directly after the election.” A year out from a general el ..read more

LONDON — Germany has asked the U.K. to consider the construction of a 400-mile hydrogen pipeline under the North Sea to provide it with hydrogen — as Europe’s largest economy searches for ways to break its dependence on fossil fuels. The country’s Green Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck raised the idea of a pipeline at a meeting with U.K. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch earlier this month, according to two people familiar with discussions. Germany is set to become by far Europe’s largest hydrogen import market over the coming decades, with plans to buy roughly 70 percent of the hydrogen it needs ..read more

The European training center to teach Ukrainian pilots how to operate F-16 combat planes was officially opened on Monday in Romania. “The center will be an international hub for the training of F-16 pilots and will facilitate increased interoperability among allies,” the Romanian defense ministry said. It was inaugurated by Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr and his Dutch counterpart Kajsa Ollongren at an air base east of Bucharest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the training center is “a significant practical contribution to our aviation coalition.” Kyiv has long argued ..read more

Last winter, Europeans faced exorbitant energy bills as the Continent rapidly weaned itself off Russian gas. This year the EU is better prepared — but now a second war also threatens to roil its energy markets. The conflict between Israel and Hamas threatens to disrupt Europe’s relationships with the Middle East, or even draw Iran into direct confrontation with Israel and its Western partners. While markets are relatively calm for now, either of those scenarios could cause chaos. Nevertheless, Europe is “equipped to face oil and diesel global market tightness,” Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson ..read more

Norway’s government risks crisis over a contentious package of EU energy bills. The center-left Agrarian Party has previously threatened to quit the administration in Oslo if the EU’s Clean Energy for All Europeans Package is transposed into Norwegian law. The party says the package will undermine domestic control of natural resources. A dramatic exit by the Agrarians could topple the coalition government, which is currently led by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre from the center-left Labor Party. The Labor-led Ministry of Petroleum and Energy is working on how to implement the new package, acc ..read more

Climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained by police in London on Tuesday while protesting against the oil and gas industry. Thunberg had joined other protestors in front of the InterContinental Hotel on Park Lane in London where she warned that “the world is drowning in fossil fuels,” before being led away by police. Fossil Free London announced that Thunberg had been “arrested,” with an accompanying video of her being put into a van by police officers. In a statement, London’s Metropolitan police said: “Officers asked the protestors to move from the road onto the pavement, which would ..read more

Norway’s Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt was dismissed Monday by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre as part of a government reshuffle, after it was revealed that her husband had been making financial deals that could have affected her ministerial duties. In August, Huitfeldt herself announced that her husband, Ola Petter Flem, had traded the shares of companies that could have been affected by her decisions as foreign minister — including arms manufacturer Kongsberg Gruppen, in which the Norwegian state is a majority shareholder. “The matters concerning the purchase and sale of shares and comp ..read more

Sweden’s former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson wants the army sent in to quash a rising tide of gang violence in the country. In the past 24 hours, three people died in shootings and bombings, Swedish news media reported. Andersson, from the opposition center-left Social Democrats, suggested Thursday to Swedish outlet Aftonbladet: “Surveillance performed by police officers could be carried out by the military. In addition, there is technical know-how with the military that they could assist with.” Two men were shot Thursday at different locations close to Stockholm, and police arreste ..read more

The Netherlands is planning to deliver its first F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine at some point in 2024, the country’s defense minister, Kajsa Ollongren, said Tuesday. Before the jets can be delivered, pilots, crew and technicians all have to be trained to fly and fight in the jets, Ollengren said during an interview with MSNBC. She did not give an exact answer on how long the training would last, but estimated it would be between six and eight months. “These things do take time,” Ollengren said. “I think the most important thing is the signal we’re sending, not only to Kyiv but also to ..read more