Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal urged Latvia to complete its part of the Rail Baltica railway by 2030 as agreed, ERR reported. Michal said that Estonia would “kindly pressure” Latvia with the help of EU funding. Earlier, Maris Dzelme, board chairman of Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas (EDZL), which manages the construction project in Latvia, said that the completion of the first phase of the railway could be delayed by three to five years, LSM reported. In response, Latvia’s Transport Minister, Atis Svinka, stressed that EDZL’s responsibility was to build, not to voice opinions or engage in speculation, LETA reported. The ministry pointed out that the pace of construction was heavily dependent on EU funds, ERR reported. Martin Kokk, secretary general of Estonia’s Ministry of Climate, noted that Estonia had earmarked nearly EUR 500mn for Rail Baltica’s construction in 2026 alone, whereas Latvia had only allocated EUR 260mn. Meanwhile, Lithuania’s portion of the railway project is reportedly proceeding on schedule.
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