The message states that the European Commission will terminate the funding agreement under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the 'Military Mobility' program amounting to 51.5 million euros, which was intended for the construction of eight supports of a combined bridge over the Daugava near Salaspils. In this regard, within the framework of the 'Military Mobility' fund competition, from which Latvia received an advance of 25.776 million euros, this amount must be returned. Thus, co-financing and advance financing from the state budget, approved at a Cabinet meeting on September 12, 2023, is no longer required, the ministry noted. The Ministry of Transport informed the agency that the government supported the development of a new solution for a combined road and railway bridge over the Daugava to ensure a financially feasible, technically justified solution aligned with the priorities of the 'Rail Baltica' project. At the same time, the government decided to suspend the alienation of property for the needs of 'Rail Baltica' on the territory of the combined bridge until decisions are made regarding its optimization. As stated by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Andulis Židkovs, Latvia is currently focusing on solutions in the implementation of the 'Rail Baltica' project that allow for optimal resource investment to construct the main route and ensure its full operation. 'This also applies to the combined bridge over the Daugava, which is an integral part of the main route. Therefore, we are currently seeking an optimal technical solution together with the State Joint Stock Company 'Latvijas valsts ceļi' (LVC) that can be implemented within the available financial resources,' Židkovs added.
