Poland, Lithuania seek EU funds for key road, rail projects
Among other projects, the two neighbors want to expand a road link between Augustow in northeastern Poland and Lazdijai, Lithuania, which leads toward the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Polish state news agency PAP reported. The project has significant economic and strategic importance, including civilian and military uses, Polish Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak told reporters after a meeting in Warsaw on Thursday. Klimczak met with Lithuania's Transport and Communications Minister Eugenijus Sabutis to discuss infrastructure projects critical to both countries.
?Minister infrastruktury @DariuszKlimczak spotkal sie dzisiaj w Warszawie z Eugenijusem Sabutisem, nowym Ministrem Transportu i Komunikacji Republiki Litewskiej, dla ktorego byla to pierwsza zagraniczna wizyta robocza.
W spotkaniu uczestniczyli takze ?? wiceministrowie... pic.twitter.com/s9hVhuXuKk[1][2]
-- Ministerstwo Infrastruktury (@MI_GOV_PL) January 16, 2025[3]The meeting also included Polish Deputy Infrastructure Ministers Stanislaw Bukowiec and Piotr Malepszak. Both countries emphasized the need for EU financial support due to the project's strategic nature. The ministers said that the Augustow-Lazdijai route is essential not only for local economic growth but also for broader regional security.
Lithuania's Sabutis stressed that improving road and logistics infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe, including transportation links to Ukraine, is a shared priority for both nations.
??Minister Sabutis was delighted to meet with ?? @DariuszKlimczak in Warsaw today. The meeting focused on joint cross-border infrastructure projects & military mobility needs. Our cooperation is crucial for better regional connectivity & security.
?: @MI_GOV_PL pic.twitter.com/nQFW1bx3WR[4][5][6]
Representatives from Poland and Lithuania signed a joint letter addressed to the Director-General of DG MOVE, the EU's Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, seeking funding to support this initiative.
The ministers also discussed progress on other key infrastructure projects, such as the Via Baltica highway and the Rail Baltica railway line. Rail Baltica is the largest railway infrastructure project in the Baltic states and, once completed, will provide a high-speed, electrified, dual-track link connecting Warsaw with Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn and other Baltic cities. Further plans include modernizing and electrifying the Suwalki-Bialystok railway line in northeastern Poland to improve regional connectivity.
Both sides expressed their commitment to expanding passenger rail services between Warsaw and Vilnius, the PAP news agency reported. Additionally, discussions covered smaller cross-border infrastructure projects, such as the Sankury-Burbiszki road link, which is crucial for local communities and NATO's eastern flank security, according to Poland's Bukowiec. The ministers agreed that continued EU financial support will be critical in achieving their ambitious transportation goals in the coming years.
Both sides acknowledged that past EU-funded infrastructure projects have significantly contributed to economic development and regional security across Europe, reporters were told.
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References
- ^ @DariuszKlimczak (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/s9hVhuXuKk (t.co)
- ^ January 16, 2025 (twitter.com)
- ^ @DariuszKlimczak (twitter.com)
- ^ @MI_GOV_PL (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/nQFW1bx3WR (t.co)
- ^ January 16, 2025 (twitter.com)
- ^ PAP (www.pap.pl)