Kučinskis: Rail Baltica project must decide what to build and what not to build
Finance Minister Māris Kučinskis says Latvia must decide which parts of the Rail Baltica project to build and which to abandon, but cannot withdraw from the project entirely.
In an interview with LETA, Finance Minister Māris Kučinskis stated that Latvia must decide which components of the international railway project Rail Baltica to construct and which to skip. He emphasized that abandoning the project is not an option, as it would require answering to Lithuania and Estonia and repaying all funds spent so far.
Kučinskis noted that no one believes the project will be completed by 2030. He stressed that passing a law is not enough – the Ministry of Transport must plan and act, while the Ministry of Finance must secure funding. In his view, project management should be taken over by the Cabinet of Ministers, as Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs has insisted. This should have been done long ago, as currently one party orders and another pays.
The minister believes the project must first be restructured – there must be clarity on what Latvia is building and what it is not. Design adjustments may be needed. He also suggested that the project should be led by a working group under the prime minister, not by individual ministries. Once it is clear what and how to build, financing can be structured. Kučinskis mentioned that there have been offers from major banks and private partnerships, and the new structural funds period is approaching, where the Ministry of Transport previously missed opportunities to secure funding.
When asked whether this means Latvia will only build the track, Kučinskis replied that he understands it that way, but it has not been officially decided. Regarding expensive contracts, he said they have likely been submitted to law enforcement for evaluation, but he is not aware of the results.
