05.02.2015
At today's cabinet meeting, the government discussed the submission of an application to the Connecting Europe Facility related to the construction of Rail Baltic and authorized the Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure to sign the application.
"Rail Baltic is a very large, strategically important but also expensive project, the construction of which is only possible if we involve the financial support of the European Union," said Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas. "At the same time, modern high-speed railway is important for the unity of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, as well as Europe, integrating this region more strongly with our allies and partners," the government's communications office relayed the Prime Minister.
According to the Prime Minister, it is important that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania submit a joint application for funding through a joint venture of the three countries. “This will send a clear message to the parties that our goal is to build Rail Baltic as a joint project.”
The funding of up to 191 million euros from the first round of applications is planned to be used to conduct preliminary studies and a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis for the construction of Rail Baltic. The money would also be used to purchase land along the route corridor.
Estonia's share of the entire Rail Baltic project is approximately 1,3 billion euros, spread over ten years. Applications for the next stages of the project can be submitted starting in 2017.
In addition to Rail Baltic, Estonia plans to apply for support from the Connecting Europe Facility to extend the tram line to Tallinn Airport, which is necessary to connect Rail Baltic with urban transport.
The deadline for submitting an application to the European Commission is February 26. The decision to allocate funds will be made in the autumn.
In parallel, work is underway on Rail Baltic's internal Estonian route alternatives. The main choices have been made in Pärnu and Rapla counties, and alternatives are being analyzed in Harju County.
Source: http://www.delfi.ee/news/paevauudised/eesti/valitsus-toetas-rail-balticu-rahastamisatotuse-esitamist?id=70728579
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