Estonian Review
At the beginning of June the European Union's Executive Commission approved three projects of the Estonia-Latvia-Russia cross-border co-operation program with an estimated budget of 21.5 million euros. In the course of the projects, the passenger car and pedestrian border crossing points in Narva and Ivangorod on the Estonian-Russian border will be renovated, reconstruction works will be carried out in the Narva and Ivangorod fortresses, and traffic and border crossing conditions on the Värska-Pechory road connecting Estonia and Russia will be improved.

Of the total appropriation, 12.7 million euros was allocated by the European Commission and Russia and 6.7 million euros by Estonia. Project partners' own financing made up 10 % of the total or approximately 2.1 million euros, the Estonian Interior Ministry said.

The overhaul of the Narva-Ivangorod border crossing point includes the construction of a new building at Ivangorod's Parusinka crossing point and the reconstruction of the pedestrian terminal and vehicle lanes at the Narva crossing point. The cost of the project is 8.2 million euros.

The project for the unique Narva and Ivangorod fortresses foresees renovation of the Viktoria bastion and powder cellar in Narva, where a visitor centre will be created. In Ivangorod the small powder cellar will be reconstructed and a visitor centre built. The project is budgeted at 6.9 million euros.

In the framework of the Safe Road project a 19.1-kilometer road section from Värska in southeastern Estonia to Pechory in northwestern Russia will be renovated and light traffic roads built near Värska, the Koidula border crossing point and the town of Pechory. A parking area for tourist coaches will be built in central Pechory and a waiting area for passenger cars and trucks near the Kunichina Gora border crossing point on the Russian side. The project will cost 6.4 million euros to implement.

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