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Friday, 29.03.2024, 09:53
Baltic PMs discussed regional projects
Laimdota Straujuma, Andrus Ansip and Algirdas Butkevicius. Tallinn, 3.02.2014. Photo: flickr.com |
Lithuania supports Estonia’s
idea regarding Baltic electronic identification, and approves further actions
in this regard. According to the Prime Minister, closer co-operation on this
issue will help achieve the goals and meet the commitments for the European
Union.
The most controversial was the Rail Baltica issue. The Baltic Council
of Ministers discussed the intergovernmental agreement, a joint company and a
request for project funding from the European Union institutions. The Prime
Minister reiterated the importance of including Vilnius into the project.
“I would like to point out that Lithuania is
interested and is strongly committed to the implementation of the Rail Baltica project. Experts do their
utmost to resolve all the issues. I would like to note that it is important to
submit a joint application from the Baltic states to the CEF (Connecting Europe
Facility) by the year 2016. The project should respond to the interests of all
the participating states, including Lithuania. Therefore, it is important to
emphasize that, as agreed in the Joint Statement, Vilnius intersection is to be
treated as an integral part of the Rail
Baltica railway and infrastructure development“, – said the Prime Minister.
The Joint Statement was signed by the Ministers of Transport in September 2013.
The Prime Minister also has noted that, as
endorsed by the Prime Ministers in 2011, the AECOM study, raises an objective
to link all the Baltic capitals, which also suggests Vilnius, only then the
project will have a positive impact on the economic growth of the entire Baltic
region.
The AECOM study recommends for the red route for
Rail Baltica to be studied further,
while through a detailed cost -benefit analysis, looking for the best way to
include Vilnius.
“We are going to have a cost-benefit study,
enabling us to find a way to integrate Vilnius” -, said the Prime Minister.
The counterparts have agreed not to make Vilnius
an obstacle for further implementation of the project, and continue working on
technical issues and prepare documents for EU funding.
Estonia has presented an item of a regional
liquefied natural gas terminal. Lithuania supports the project, whose location
has not been decided as yet (Estonia or Finland).
Latvia has presented an item of the 25th
Anniversary of the Baltic Way. Preparations are underway. The Lithuanian Head
of Government has informed that on 23 January, the Lithuanian Government had
set up a working group on preparations, led by the first Vice-Chancellor of the
Government. The events should attract more families, youth, emigrants, and
various communities.
In the meeting with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister has
talked about projects aimed to achieve energy independence. Answers to
questions regarding the Visaginas nuclear power plant will be made by the
Committee of Senior Officials in the next meeting of the Baltic Council of
Ministers. Prime Minister A. Butkevicius has informed about the
inter-institutional committee in Lithuania to deal with issues of
co-generation, synchronization with the continental European networks. It is
expected that the outstanding questions will be answered by the end of
February, and the joint negotiation line will be developed by the Baltic
countries as early as end of May.