„There is definitely a political commitment, Lithuania is actively working on it. This political commitment must unite our joint efforts in fighting and maintaining attention to this European project by maintaining funding intensity,“ said M. Sinkevičius after a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal in Tallinn.
„From the (Estonian – BNS) Prime Minister I heard something that echoes in my head – the political determination that this project will be realized, that the planned current completion could be ambitious and there would be a finish by 2030,“ he added.
Last week in Riga, he said that the Baltic countries need to fight for funding for the 2028–2034 EU multiannual budget and for the “Rail Baltica” project.
As BNS wrote, the total costs of “Rail Baltica” may reach 23.8 billion euros.
The chairman of the supervisory board of the Baltic joint venture “RB Rail,” Matiss Paegle (Matis Paeglė), has said that if construction is delayed, there is a risk of losing already allocated grants or part of them, as well as receiving less funding from the next EU multiannual budget.
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The project is included in the EU’s Northern Military Mobility Corridor. According to EU law, core trans-European transport network projects must be implemented by 2030, and the entire network by 2050. The line from Tallinn through Riga, Pärnu, Panevėžys, and Kaunas to Warsaw must be operational no later than 2030.
However, the European Court of Auditors stated in January that the “Rail Baltica” project will not be completed by 2030 as previously planned, and there is no final deadline for its implementation at all.
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