At a joint press conference the three Baltic PMs did their best to put on a united front with Kariņš saying it was of "vital importance" and that their transport ministers will be charged with liaising with the European Commission and "improving those aspects which can be improved" as far as project implementation is concerned.
They also signed a joint statement stressing their common purpose which, after some re-stating of why the project is required in the first place, moves on to acknowledge that things may not have been going as smoothly as previously thought.
The prime ministers "Recognised the need to address certain risks in the project implementation – time, cost as well as financing of the project, therefore agreed on the need to significantly improve the project governance, namely: 1. To task the Ministers responsible for transport to present a proposal towards an integrated project delivery model to improve and speed up agreed and ongoing actions as well as timely implementation of the project at the BCM [Baltic Council of Ministers] on February 7, 2020. 2. To invite the Ministers responsible for transport to provide a Rail Baltica Project progress report to the Prime Ministers on a regular basis."
@RailBaltica has seen many “supportive” Baltic statements. To date destructive Transport ministers to find solutions by February? At the press conference LT PM continues to lie about existing EU wide single track from Kaunas-Polish border. https://t.co/nAthRBYQmD
— Baiba Rubesa (@rubesita) December 6, 2019
The full press conference of the Baltic Prime Ministers (with Latvian translation) can be watched below.
Later in the day Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also dropped in as a special guest.
