OPINION: We have the “talent” not to worry too much about projects financed by Europe

Opinion piece. Author: Ilona Bērziņa

The meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday, November 27, was not the first time that Prime Minister Evika Siliņa had to bring Transport Minister Kaspars Briškens back to solid ground in connection with the Rail Baltica project.

Let’s not forget that the Prime Minister said at the beginning of November that he (Briškens) “has time to demonstrate a result until the budget is approved”. However, there is no realistic outcome yet and it is unlikely that we will see one in the foreseeable future.

Latvia has enormous problems with Rail Baltica. The main reason is the lack of funding. There is also the problem of inadequate work organization. Meanwhile, Transport Minister Kaspars Briškens continues to stick to the idea that the construction of the Riga connection is absolutely necessary in the first phase of the Rail Baltica project. When it comes to this subject, the priest is like a petulant child, kicking and screaming at his mother, completely convinced that he will get what he wants.

But the main railway line is not making progress. This has made Latvia the weakest link. It would be incredibly shameful if Lithuania and Estonia completed their part of the route and Latvia had nothing to show except the connection between Riga Central Station and Riga Airport. However, there are also curiosities here. According to one version, the airport terminal is compatible with European gauge tracks, or 1,435 mm gauge, while the construction of a Russian railway line with 1,520 mm gauge is 8 cm shorter. Another version suggests adjusting the situation and compensating for the missing 8 cm at the expense of the embankment by rerouting something there, resurfacing and rebuilding.

It should be noted that this application is likely to introduce even more unforeseen and increasing costs, at which point everyone will clap their hands and shrug their shoulders.

It is unlikely that anyone other than the “progressives” still believes that Kaspars Briškens is the right man to complete Rail Baltica. However, the Prime Minister appears to have no room for maneuver when it comes to replacing the failing minister. Let’s go back to what the leader of the “Progressives” faction Saeima, Šuvajeva, said: “Every minister of the “Progressives” is a question of the stability of the coalition.” This means that the head of government has nothing to do other than to continue arguing with Briškens during government meetings to prevent even more resources from being wasted. This is like a mission impossible because there are many unanswered questions. The most important question now is: What do we do with the unfinished train stations in Riga and at the airport? The European Commission will not provide any money to complete them all. We don’t even know whether the European funds allocated to other projects can actually be used for this purpose. And Europe is less likely to ignore the frivolous use of its money. There is an option to stop construction, but this will require additional funds. Didn’t the people who made the decision know that Europe wouldn’t pay for it? Did this happen in Latvia according to the “maybe it will work” principle, which is more typical of Latvia’s eastern neighbors?

It seems that no one among the Rail Baltica implementers is upset that European and Latvian taxpayers’ money is being wasted pointlessly. The general impression is that everyone is confident that it will be possible to get more funding from European funds and use this money to build something as unnecessary as the pillars in the Daugava River. But what happens if, with our growing appetites, Brussels sends us three houses down the street and demands a refund of the money we’ve already spent on project needs that have nothing to do with the main line? Has no one thought of such a scenario? Were those involved in the project from the Ministry of Transport, RB Rail and European Railway Lines too preoccupied with their wages, bonuses and who knows what else there is to consider about what Europe pays and what it doesn’t?

We have a talent for accepting European money – not so much for implementing projects. For example, there is the story about the new, improved passenger platforms that the Latvian Railways proudly announced just a few years ago. We have new ViVi trains and new platforms so that anyone interested can board. The plan was to build and modernize 48 new platforms by the end of 2023. However, only 19 have been built so far.

The fact that this project has become 15% more expensive is not a big surprise to anyone – we are not spending our own money, but European and government money that we are spending. Taxpayers’ wallets can withstand anything!

The elevated platforms at nine stations are to be used as part of Rail Baltica. This also includes Riga. So far we have been presented with a shocking solution – 55cm high wooden structures built on the low platforms. We haven’t heard how much this will cost or how dangerous it could be if adverse weather conditions destroy it. If you look at the overall problem, low platforms are an insignificant problem. Nevertheless, these “little things” show the general attitude towards the project.

Back to Rail Baltica: We could propose a solution that would at least reduce the nonsense in the project. Make the Minister of Transport and well-paid project managers financially responsible for the implementation of the project. Did you make a bad decision for the country? Pay for it out of your own pocket.

Such an approach would not only rid the project of incompetent, arrogant jackasses, but would also slow down the flow of money on all sides. Because it is one thing to try to put a roof on a house before the foundation of European money has been laid, and quite another to do this for your own house.

Also read: VIDEO | Heated discussions about the “Russian question” and politicians. Rosļikovs visits “Suņu buda V2.0”

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