The V4 countries have signed the Prague Declaration on Transport Infrastructure that will strengthen cooperation in seeking more EU funding for strategic projects to improve EU connectivity and military mobility.
The joint declaration was signed by the Transport Ministers and representatives of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia, which are committed to develop their transport infrastructure and cross border connections which will lead to a better integrated network.
The Prague Declaration on Transport Infrastructure recognise the role of rail transport has in achieving environmental objectives, economic growth and competitiveness and underlines the necessity to develop a high-speed railway network in the central and north-eastern part of the European Union. The declaration also states the importance of strategic transport projects such as Rail Baltica, Via Vindobona railway connecting Berlin, Prague and Vienna, as well as the high-speed lines which will ensure the transport links within Visegrad countries.
“Projects of the scale of Rail Baltica and Via Baltica will not only have a huge impact on Lithuania, but will also fundamentally change regional connectivity, opening up new cargo freight opportunities with Ukraine and Moldova. Full integration into European transport networks is a priority for improving connectivity and has a serious bearing on strengthening regional defence posture. The appropriate and timely European funding is key for advancing strategic infrastructure projects. Therefore, we firmly and unanimously stress the need to increase the EU investments in transport projects in our region,” Lithuania’s Transport Minister Marius Skuodis, said.
Under the declaration, the signatories underline their common objective for a sustainable, smart and resilient transport network according to the TEN-T revision and they focus on completing geostrategic connections on the North-South and North-East axis.
The Prague Declaration on Transport Infrastructure also shows the commitment to modernise the existing railway infrastructure for better capacity, competitiveness and availability and military mobility and supports the reconstruction and development of transport links with Ukraine and Moldova.
Considering the financing of the projects, the Transport Ministers underline the importance of the European funding allocation through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and Cohesion Funds which will help achieve transport and climate goals by 2030. These funds need to be increased to support a better connected transport network and ensure smooth and fast military mobility.
The transport ministers also call for increased ambitions for CEF in the Multiannual Financial Framework to ensure the financing of the strategic transport projects.
The declaration is also emphasising the need for funding sources for the decarbonisation of transport system to meet the requirements arising from the AFIR regulation (Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation which entered into force on 13 April 2024 supporting the transition towards more sustainable transport by setting obligatory targets for the rollout of recharging and refuelling transport infrastructure).
The Transport Ministers also rely on the development of tools for transitional financing and continuity between financial frameworks for major projects and on exploring alternative sources of financing, including loans and public-private partnerships (PPPs).
The V4 countries are committed to working with other Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament to build a sustainable, resilient and connected transport network.
“At the V4+ meeting with all three Baltic countries and the European Commission, we committed to cooperation on joint transport projects. We want to improve the connection between our states and the entire EU. Together, achieve an increase in the funds that the EU will release for the construction of new high-speed lines,” Martin Kupka, the Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic said.
Czechia currently holds the Presidency of the Visegrad Group until 30 June 2024. The country’s programme on transport is focused on the established cooperation in the preparation and construction of high-speed railways in the V4 region.
The high-speed rail project is essential to ensure the mobility of the citizens of the V4 both nationally and across the region and is essential to explore the potential involvement of partners in the high-speed rail project, the programme says.
In 2021, Czech Republic, Germany and Austria signed a joint statement on further development of the Berlin – Prague – Vienna rail link (Via Vindobona). In December 2023, during a meeting with the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Czechia’s Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that his country is intensively preparing the project and will collaborate to secure European funding.
The ambition is to deliver fast services between these cities with travel time not take more than two and a half hours. Under the Via Vindobona connection, the entire route of the new HSR in the Czech Republic (with a possible exception of the Central Bohemians Uplands Tunnel ) will be included in the Core Network, with the sections Lovosice – Praha – Světlá nad Sázavou and Velká Bíteš – Břeclav being part of the Core Network with maximum priority for funding and completion by 2030 (the section Světlá nad Sázavou – Velká Bíteš is included in the Extended Core Network with a completion date of 2040).
Czechia is committed to complete its high-speed rail network and to double train connections with the neighbouring countries, with cross-border tunnel between Dresden and Ústí nad Labem being one of the priorities to increase transport capacity. The tunnel is a part of the future high-speed axis in central Europe called “Via Vindobona”, a high-speed connection between Berlin, Prague and Vienna with travel time of ca. 4 hours.
The pilot stretches of new lines with a speed up to 320 km/h and a minimum length of 120 km will be opened before 2030. The remaining 250 km will follow in the following years. This new infrastructure will offer other options for long-distance links, the most important ones being a direct express link Prague – Dresden – Frankfurt.
Rail Baltica will connect the Baltic States with the rest of the EU rail network through Poland and the first phase is planned to be completed by 2030, in accordance with the schedule set by the TEN-T Regulation and aims to establish a high-speed line corridor between the Polish border and Tallinn by 2030. This year, the project entered a new implementation phase with 15% of the Rail Baltica mainline scheduled to be under construction by the end of the year.
By 2046 the line will handle 51.7 million passenger trips and 10.9 million tonnes of cargo. The Rail Baltica’s costs have increased according to the latest cost-benefit analysis.
The second phase of the project, which envisions the implementation of the full project scope after 2030, is expected to cost up to EUR 23.8 billion.
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