The Government approves the special plan for the Kaunas–Vilnius section of Rail Baltica

The Government has approved the special plan for the Kaunas–Vilnius section of the Rail Baltica project. The Government’s decision also provides for the commencement of land acquisition procedures for public needs in the Kaunas and Jonava districts.
The extension of the European standard‑gauge railway to Vilnius is planned to follow the completion of the main Rail Baltica line. In 2024, the three Baltic States and the European Commission agreed to prioritize the construction of the main Rail Baltica line connecting Poland with Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. It is envisaged that the necessary funding for the Kaunas–Vilnius connection will be secured from the forthcoming EU financial period.
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Originally published on 22 Apr
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Students from technical schools in the Pomeranian region, specializing in renewable energy, have embarked on a unique educational journey into the offshore wind industry. Launched by Equinor and Polenergia, the “Setting the Course for Offshore” program opens the door for young people to the world of offshore wind – one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Polish economy.
The program is delivered in cooperation with partners: Pomeranian Employers, the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Chamber, Rumia Invest Park, and the Pomeranian Offshore Renewable Energy Competence Centre.
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Originally published on 9 Feb

Last week, Rail Baltica hosted a delegation from Port Polska during a working visit to Riga. Port Polska is a Polish state-owned special purpose vehicle (SPV) responsible for the delivery of a strategic national transport infrastructure programme with strong European added value and global impact.
The visit focused on knowledge exchange related to the delivery of large-scale European transport infrastructure projects. Discussions covered grant management under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), institutional capacity building, financing models, and the practical challenges associated with the implementation of complex cross-border rail projects.
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Originally published on 11 Feb

The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) invites proposals for projects focusing on strengthening security and resilience in the Baltic Sea Region under its Project Support Facility (PSF) 2026 call, which opens on 15 February 2026. Applications will be accepted until 31 March 2026.
The PSF 2026 call seeks innovative projects that foster understanding, cooperation, and mutual trust, contributing to a safer, more resilient, and sustainable region. Proposals should align with one of the CBSS’s three long-term priority areas, promoting sustainable partnerships and macro-regional cooperation.
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Originally published on 5 Feb

The Drone Technology Unit is designed to focus on R&D in unmanned aviation, communications, navigation, flight physics, and hardware security. It will consist of laboratories designed to validate and industrialise unmanned systems across the air, ground, and maritime domains.
The unit is part of the recently established Applied Research Centre in Estonia and is planned to become fully operational during summer 2027.
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Originally published on 6 Feb

rocivis AG, a technology market leader for digital identity, credentials and wallets, and a subsidiary of Orell Füssli, announced today that, following a public procurement process, it has been awarded the contract to provide Lithuania’s European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet sandbox. Working with SDSA, the State Digital Solutions Agency of Lithuania, Procivis will build the national testbed to drive Lithuania’s digital identity activities and ensure readiness in advance of the EU-wide launch.
With Procivis One, its production-ready and eIDAS 2.0-compliant technology for digital identity and wallets, Procivis brings deep expertise to help establish an interoperable ecosystem for Lithuania’s digital identity initiative.
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Originally published on 9 Feb

The offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea fed around 5,400 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity into the eastern German extra-high-voltage grid via the 50Hertz grid connection systems last year – about ten percent more than in the previous year. Over the course of 2025, the six currently operating offshore wind farms generated enough electricity to cover the annual consumption of the city of Leipzig and its surrounding region.
The reason for this increase is the continuous expansion of wind energy off the coast of the island of Rügen. Since last year, the Baltic Eagle wind farm (approx. 450 MW) has been feeding its full capacity into the grid via the Ostwind 2 connection system. Prior to that, the Arcadis Ost 1 wind farm (approx. 250 MW) went online. Wind yield amounted to 4,300 GWh in 2023 and 4,900 GWh in 2024.
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Originally published on 9 Feb

Copenhagen has been voted Best Northern Europe Cruise Port by Spanish‑speaking cruise guests at the prestigious Cruceroadicto 2025 Awards. This is the fourth cruise award won by Copenhagen during the past five months
Award winners are determined directly by votes from Spanish‑speaking cruise guests who have travelled at least once on a cruise during the past 12 months. Candidate ports for the award are only those accessible to the Spanish‑speaking market. With almost 70,000 arrivals in 2025, Spanish cruise guests made up the third-largest single nationality group visiting the Danish capital by ship.
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Originally published on 6 Feb

On 6 February, the Baltic Assembly convened in Vilnius to address strengthening regional cooperation with a focus on the progress and future delivery of Rail Baltica. During the session, members received an update on the project’s implementation status, financial outlook, and strategic importance and the challenges facing large-scale infrastructure projects.
Addressing the Assembly, RB Rail AS Chief Executive Officer Marko Kivila highlighted the project’s transition from planning to full-scale construction across all three Baltic states.
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Originally published on 6 Feb

In 2025, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), which together form the EIB Group, provided financing to Finnish public sector bodies and companies across a range of sectors, from sustainable transport and social infrastructure to advanced technologies and small business finance. The funding supported climate action, energy security, innovation and access to finance for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Total EIB Group financing amounted to around €1,6 billion and the support helped mobilise total investments in Finland of about €4.9 billion – equivalent to 1.8% of GDP or €868 per person.
Among the year’s key projects was EIB support for new tram infrastructure in the Helsinki metropolitan area, strengthening sustainable urban mobility and reducing emissions from transport. The EIB also financed upgrades to hospitals and schools across Finland, improving energy efficiency and resilience in essential public services, as well as investments to enhance safety and reliability at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, supporting secure low-carbon electricity generation.
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Originally published on 4 Feb

German energy company Danpower Group is acquiring a majority stake in SW Energia OÜ, one of Estonia’s leading district heating providers, says the official press-release. Danpower Group is a Potsdam-based energy company specializing in district heating and renewable energy solutions for municipalities, industries, and residential areas across Germany and now Estonia.
The deal, signed on January 27, awaits approval from the Estonian Competition Authority and aims to accelerate the transition to renewable energy in Estonia’s heating sector.
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Originally published on 5 Feb