Prime Minister Jüri Ratas said: "Estonia will coordinate the work of the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2020. Improving regional connectivity is one of our priorities. We will continue to work closely on regional energy and transport projects such as Rail Baltic and the Estonian."

He added: "The rapid implementation of regional projects is in our common interest and we need to secure the widest possible support from the next European Union budget."

The working sessions dedicated to Rail Baltic and energy will take place at Elering's premises, where Taavi Veskimägi, Chairman of the Board, will give ministers an overview of regional energy projects and forward-looking ideas. The meeting will also be attended by Latvian and Lithuanian transport ministers and a representative of the European Commission.

The European Union budget will be discussed over the working lunch, with Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, joining the prime ministers to help reach agreement on the budget between EU countries. A bilateral meeting between Jüri Ratas and Johannes Hahn is scheduled for the end of the day.

Following the meeting, the Prime Ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Commissioner Hahn will give a joint press conference at 2.30 p.m., which can be watched on ERR.ee webcast.

--

Download the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!