Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis and Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas signed on January 31st the Rail Baltica Agreement that defines the route, deadlines, technical issues, funding conditions and ownership issues. For the agreement to enter into force, it has to be ratified by national parliaments of all three countries. The purpose of the agreement is to promote the implementation of the European standard gauge public railway Rail Baltica project aimed at full integration of the Baltic States and their capitals into the EU rail and transport networks.
“Rail Baltic is a great opportunity not only for Estonia but for all Baltic countries. The railway has been the missing link in our cooperation and will create a regional whole in economic terms as well as connecting us to Central Europe and the EU’s internal market. It is not just about stronger entrepreneurship, increased tourism and freight transport; it is also a double-guarantee of the security of our countries,” Estonian Prime Minister said.
Lithuanian Prime Minister said that the Rail Baltica is a strategic project, which will have a positive impact on social and economic status of the region.
After the signing of the agreement, Latvian Prime pointed out that a successful and timely implemented Rail Baltica project is a common strategic interest of all three Baltic States. “I am pleased to note that substantial progress has been made recently to develop this project – agreements on the framework for organizing and supervising procurements of the project have been reached and put into practice, as well as there is an agreement at national level on tracking and border crossing points. They have to be put into practice immediately,” Kucinskis said.
The agreement confirms the commitment of the Baltic States to implement the project before 2025 in order to launch the operation of the line in 2026. The agreement also points to the importance of the European Union funding for the project implementation and readiness of the countries to continue to apply for the European Union funding with the support rate of 85%.
Photo: Annika Haas / Estonia’s Government Communication Unit
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