The applications submitted by Lithuania for financing important road transport projects improving dual-purpose mobility connections with Europe, military and civil, were approved at the meeting of the CEF Coordinating Committee for Transport on 20 December 2022.
“We are thrilled that Europe recognises the relevance of Lithuania’s priority dual-purpose transport infrastructure and financially supports the implementation of specific projects. The progressive reconstruction of the highway Via Baltica is moving rapidly in Lithuania and Poland and will allow faster adoption of higher standards of infrastructure capacity, traffic safety and regional security. The CEF Military Mobility Fund is one of the most important factors in the implementation of the Via Baltica project,” says Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis.
The call to improve military mobility connections under the CEF instrument is already being launched for the second time this year. The European Commission evaluated 63 applications from across the European Union, of which 35 were approved for a total of EUR 616 million.
The investments in Lithuania amounting to EUR 46 million will be made for the reconstruction of sections of the A5 Kaunas–Marijampolė–Suvalkai (Via Baltica) from 72.5 km to 79 km and from 79 km to 85 km.
Earlier this year, the European Commission has already allocated EUR 61.3 million to the development of the highway Via Baltica and the development of the Kaunas Intermodal Terminal in Palemonas under the grant agreements signed.
According to the Minister, the amount of more than EUR 100 million allocated to Lithuania during the two CEF calls will significantly contribute to the accelerated implementation of strategic projects next year.
In 2023, Lithuania will prepare an application for the reconstruction of the last section of the highway Via Baltica (from 85.00 km to 97.07 km) for the CEF Military Mobility Fund.
The entire section of the road from Marijampolė to the Polish border, with an overall length of just over 40 km, which is currently under construction, is to be reconstructed in accordance with the requirements for highways by the end of 2024: widening the road from 2 to 4 lanes, laying interconnections, and introducing safer junctions at different levels for traffic.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of National Defence have agreed on a common list of dual-purpose transport infrastructure projects to be financed by the CEF Military Mobility Fund to ensure that Lithuania’s transport infrastructure is adequately prepared for defence needs.
