"There is certainly a political commitment to this, Lithuania is actively working on it. This political commitment should focus our joint efforts on fighting and maintaining Europe's attention to this project, while keeping the intensity of funding," said Sinkevičius after a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in Tallinn. "I heard from the Prime Minister (of Estonia – BNS) what still resonates in my mind – that political determination to see this project through to the end, that the planned completion can be ambitious and the finish will be in 2030," he added. Last week in Riga, he stated that the Baltic countries need to fight for the Rail Baltica project funding to also be included in the EU's multiannual budget for 2028-2034. As reported by BNS, the total cost of the Rail Baltica project could reach €23.8 billion. Matīss Paegle, chairman of the supervisory board of the Baltic joint venture RB Rail, stated that if construction is delayed, there is a risk of losing already allocated grants or parts of them, as well as a reduction in funding from the next EU multiannual budget. The project is included in the EU's North Military Transport Corridor. According to EU legislation, core trans-European transport network projects must be implemented by 2030, and the entire network by 2050. The line from Tallinn through Riga, Pärnu, Panevėžys, and Kaunas to Warsaw must be put into operation no later than 2030. However, in January, the European Court of Auditors stated that the Rail Baltica project would not be completed by 2030 as previously planned, and there is no final deadline for its implementation at all.
