Hungary says ready to invest 200 mln euros in Slovenia rail project
06/04/2017 14:19
LJUBLJANA, April 6 (Reuters) - Hungary would be ready to
invest about 200 million euros in a new railway line between
Slovenia's sole port, Luka Koper LKPG.LJ , and the Slovenian
city of Divaca, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Peter Szijjarto said.
Most companies in landlocked Hungary use the port, on the
Adriatic, for their sea cargo transport.
According to Slovenian government plans, total investment in
the 27 km line will cost about 1 billion euros. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N1G91SN.
"We have been negotiating Hungarian contribution of about
200 million euros which seems to be realistic but ... details
have not been clarified yet," Szijjarto told a news conference
during a visit to Slovenia on Thursday.
Three quarters of the new line will run underground. It
should significantly increase the capacity of the port, which
lies about 310 km from Slovenia's border with Hungary.
Szijjarto said Hungary did not expect to get a stake of Luka
Koper in return for its investment, saying Slovenia has made it
clear it plans to keep it in the hands of the Slovenian state.
He said, however, Hungary hoped that its companies would get
a prioritised approach to the port, possibly by a long-term
leasing or rental contract, while Hungarian companies could also
get work on the construction of the railway, giving no details.
He also said all cargo transport from Koper to Central
Europe could go through Hungary so that Hungarian cargo firms
would benefit from the project.
Slovenia hopes to cover about a quarter of the whole
investment with European Union funds while about 350 million
euros will be raised via new debt. The investment will be one of
the biggest in Slovenia in the coming years.
(Reporting by Marja Novak; Editing by Alison Williams)
((Marja.Novak@thomsonreuters.com; +386-1-5058805, Reuters
Messaging: marja.novak.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: SLOVENIA HUNGARY/