Baltic Prime Ministers sign an agreement on the project Rail Baltica
Today in Tallinn, Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius, Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma and Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivasu signed a joint statement on the project Rail Baltica.
“It was agreed to take all the necessary steps at a national level to approve and sign a shareholders’ agreement, enabling the early establishment of a joint Rail Baltica venture. The political statement contains a provision about Vilnius being part of Rail Baltica2 project, which makes it potentially subject to be financed from European funds, and relevant efforts will be taken in this regard”, said the Head of the Government of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevičius.
The statement confirms the importance of the implementation of the Rail Baltica project as a fast conventional double track 1435 mm gauge electrified railway line with the maximum design speed of 240 km/h on the route from Tallinn-Pärnu-Riga-Panevėžys-Kaunas to the Lithuanian-Polish border, and expresses support for the inclusion of Vilnius-Kaunas section as part of the route.
The document signed by the Baltic Prime Ministers provides for further efforts, including project preparation and submission of applications for funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
According to the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian Prime Ministers, the European Commission’s continuous support for the project and contribution to the regional dialogue in the course of the preparation and implementation of the Rail Baltica project were of crucial importance. The Rail Baltica project as part of the trans-European transport network, is particularly important in terms of increased possibility of social, economic and territorial cohesion of the European Union and the development of a single European transport area.
The Prime Ministers of Lithuania invited the Latvian and Estonian counterparts to take part in the opening of Klaipėda liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in October this year. “It will be a historic day for the celebration of the arrival of the newly built LNG storage vessel Independence into the port of Klaipėda,” said Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius.
On Saturday, the Baltic Prime Ministers will meet with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to discuss the European Union’s Structural Funds partnership agreements, regional energy projects and security issues.
