European Coordinator Issues Statement on Rail Baltica Decision
Catherine Trautmann, the Co-ordinator for the North Sea-Baltic TEN-T Corridor, made the following statement regarding the Rail Baltica decision:
“As European Coordinator, I very much welcome the adoption of the Implementing Decision of the Rail Baltica cross-border project on the North Sea-Baltic TEN-T Corridor. The Decision, which was officially adopted by the Commission and signed by Commissioner Violeta Bulc on 26 October, is a key milestone for the project. It sets out the intermediate steps until the project will be completed in 2026 in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, and formalises the governance of the project with the involvement fo the European Commission, the European Coordinator and Finland as an important partner. The decision was prepared in agreement with the five Member States concerned and shows their commitment to the common timeline and joint decision-making procedures. I am also pleased that the TEN-T Committee, with representatives from all EU Member States, has voted unanimously in favour of this decision. It underlines once more the European added value and common interest of the project. With this roadmap for the steps ahead, I look forward to the further journey towards completing this missing link in the European transport network.”
The European Commission Rail Baltica Decision lays out:
- an implementation timetable for the Rail Baltica cross-border project and related governance provisions, with key dates being 31 December 2018, 30 June 2019, 31 December 2020, 31 December 2021, 31 December 2023 and 31 December 2025
- that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland should report back to the EC and the European Coordinator for the North Sea-Baltic Corridor on the implementation progress
- that the EC will perform a review of the actions and dates in the implementation timetable by 31 December 2023
Key Rail Baltica Timings for 31 December 2018
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania must complete their consolidated preliminary technical design
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania must complete their strategic environmental assessments (this excludes the stretches between Kaunas and Vilnius and from Kaunas to the Polish/Lithuanian border)
- The infrastructure management studies for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are to be completed and submitted by the national authorities of those countries
On 18 October 2018 the Rail Baltica joint venture held a meeting presenting the technical design requirements to qualified companies.
