As part of the third call of the European Union (EU) financial period from 2021 to 2027, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Agency (CINEA) has approved funding in the amount of 346.1 million euros for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project in Latvia, the Ministry told LETA messages. This funding, together with the national co-financing of the three Baltic countries, will amount to a total of up to 1.5 billion euros, which will allow the continuation of work on the construction of the high-speed rail infrastructure Rail Baltica. The financing includes approximately 346 million euros for the implementation of Rail Baltica activities in Latvia, approximately 370 million euros in Estonia and 458 million euros for the implementation of the project in Lithuania. The planned funding for the global Rail Baltica project will complement the already secured funding of more than EUR 2.6 billion from the European Infrastructure Connectivity Instrument and the national budgets of the three Baltic countries. "RB Rail has prepared a very strong application for funding and I am pleased that after a rigorous and competitive selection process we can allocate €1.2 billion to the global Rail Baltica project. This decision confirms our support for this project. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania should be better connected to the rest of the EU – the war in Ukraine has proven how important this is. I hope that the project partners will effectively use this support and develop this missing railway hub as soon as possible,” said the Director General of the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE). ) European Commission Magda Kopczynska. "We truly appreciate the support and interest of the European Union in the development of Rail Baltica, which is the missing link of the European transport network corridor. This support will contribute to the inclusion of the global project in the time frame according to the Rail Baltica implementation program until 2030. The goal of this program is to promote sustainable transport, improve regional connectivity and strengthening our role in military mobility. Passengers in the Baltic countries deserve the same high-quality, fast and comfortable travel options as their neighbors in Western Europe,” said RB Rail Chairman and CEO Marko Kivila.
