Brief description Restoration of transport links between the Skuodas and Rucava municipalities to enhance cooperation, improve accessibility of the border region and make it more attractive for living and visiting.
Region Internal EU borders
Countries Latvia (LV) – Lithuania (LT)
Location LT: Skuodas Municipality
LV: Rucava Municipality
Type of project partners Municipalities
Size (total budget including EU grants) € 50,000 to € 200,000
Main themes Transport and public infrastructures
Keywords (Types of Activities) Research and studies
Conferences/major events
Keywords (Aspects of Good Practice) Genuine cross-border dimension
Genuine cross-border impact

Background and Objectives The ROTLBSARM project was implemented in the Skuodas Municipality, Lithuania, and in the Rucava Municipality, Latvia. These municipalities belong to the same ethnical Curonian land, so they are linked by joint history.

The project aimed to improve accessibility of the border region and make it more attractive for living and visiting. The project partners – the Skuodas and Rucava municipalities – were seeking to solve the existing common social problems in the border area such as low mobility of people, lack of tourists, inconvenient travelling due to insufficient road and transport infrastructure, and lack of cooperation between border region inhabitants and authorities. Cooperation between the municipalities was considered necessary and significant in order to ensure their successful development.
Main activities The three main activities of the project were:

  • Preparation of a technical project for building a bridge over the river Sventoji which separates the Lithuanian and Latvian territories.
  • Preparation of a feasibility study analysing the road and transport system in the cross-border area in Latvia and providing solutions to improve this system.
  • Organisation of a conference to present the feasibility studies and discuss the development of transport infrastructure in the cross-border area.
Main results Implementation of the activities prepared the ground for improved road and transport infrastructure in the cross-border area. A new bridge would increase communication and traffic across the border as well as mobility of people and communication between Skuodas and Rucava Municipalities.

It would also have a positive effect on culture, sports, tourism development in the area, as these people were used to travel across the border for casual matters: shopping, visiting relatives and friends, going to the beach in Latvia and other leisure places in both countries, taking part in culture and sports events, picking up berries and mushrooms in the forest and etc.

Cooperation gives opportunities to share the newest information, learn from each other, organise events, take part in various training activities together and share experiences. The project paved the way for future communication and relationship development in the border area bringing in social and economic progress to the region.
Aspects of good practice

This project is an example of a relatively small-scale but integrated cross-border action which can have a catalytic effect for the future of the cross-border area.
Start and completion dates:
June 2011 – June 2013
More information https://keep.eu/projects/7666/Restoration-of-transport-lin-EN/

Partner LT: Skuodo rajono savivaldybės administracija
Vilniaus street 13, Skuodas, LT-98112 , Lithuania
Tel.: +370440 73932
Fax: +370440 73984
Partner LV: Rucavas novada dome

“Pagastmāja”, Rucavas pagasts, Rucava, LV-3477, Latvia
Tel.: +37163467054
Fax: +37163461186
Website: www.rucava.lv

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