At the meeting of Prime Ministers of the Baltic Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and the Prime Ministers of Lithuania and Estonia agreed upon joint coordination of Rail Baltica to ensure that the project receives the necessary funding and that people can start using the Rail Baltica railway line as early as possible. The officials also addressed the issues of regional security and resilience.
Prime Minister Evika Siliņa: “Rail Baltica is a major competitiveness and military mobility project for the Baltic countries, and not only Latvia, but also Lithuania and Estonia are facing challenges related to the project completion. This is a large-scale, multi-annual project, and the costs estimated in the past do not correspond to the costs of constructing the infrastructure in any of the countries today. I called for a high-level international coordination format to deal with common project issues on a day-to-day basis. A unified strategy and coordinated action are also required to attract the additional funding.”
The Baltic Prime Ministers also discussed the necessary support for Ukraine, highlighting the need for joint efforts on the EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus and the ways to take appropriate action against the circumvention of sanctions. Support for Ukraine on its path towards EU membership was also discussed.
This Prime Ministers’ meeting in Vilnius is the last under the Lithuania's presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2024. Latvia will hold the presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2025. The Prime Minister expressed her commitment to continue the close cooperation among the Baltic States. Latvia has set the following priorities for Baltic cooperation in the coming year – regional security and resilience, support for Ukraine, improving regional connectivity, strengthening energy security and attracting investment.
