Baltic states must unite to secure more EU funds for Rail Baltica, Lithuanian PM says

VILNIUS - Baltic states must work together to secure more European Union funding to complete the Rail Baltica railway project, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said on Tuesday.

"The political commitment is certainly there, and Lithuania is actively working on it. This political commitment must mobilise our joint efforts to maintain focus on this European project and sustain the intensity of funding," Sinkevicius said in Tallinn following a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

"What I heard from the Prime Minister echoed my own thoughts - the political determination to realise this project so that the current completion target remains ambitious and the finish line is reached in 2030," Sinkevicius added.

Speaking in Riga last week, he said the Baltic states must fight for Rail Baltica allocations in the European Union's 2028-2034 multiannual budget.

Total costs for Rail Baltica could reach 23.8 billion euros. Construction delays risk the loss of some existing European Union grants and could result in reduced future funding.

The project is part of the European Union's North Sea-Baltic military mobility corridor. Under European Union law, core trans-European transport network projects must be implemented by 2030, with the full network completed by 2050. The line connecting Tallinn, Parnu, Riga, Panevezys, Kaunas and Warsaw is scheduled to be operational by 2030 at the latest.

However, the European Court of Auditors said in January that Rail Baltica would not be finished by 2030 as previously planned, noting that there was currently no definitive deadline for its completion.