On September 8, 2023, Rail Baltica, the high-speed infrastructure project aimed at connecting the Baltic States with a European gauge railway network, announced the appointment of Keit Kasemets, effective as of 1 September 2023, as a new member of RB Rail AS Supervisory Board, representing Estonia.
Keit Kasemets is the Secretary General of the Ministry of Climate of Estonia, covering also transport and mobility issues. He has extensive experience in EU affairs and policy coordination from his pervious top official capacities as the Head of the European Commission Representation in Estonia, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Estonia as well as the Strategy Director and the EU Affairs Director of the Estonian Government Office. He has also worked in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Governance Directorate as the Deputy Head of the SIGMA Programme and has been active in consulting governments and companies of strategy development, policy coordination, EU affairs and climate issues.
The new Supervisory Board member is replacing Ahti Kuningas, who has been an active member of the Supervisory Board in previous years. The changes are prompted by the transfer of the policy area "Transport," including the Rail Baltica project in Estonia, from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication to the Ministry of Climate, effective as of July 1, 2023.
"Keit Kasemets brings a wealth of experience in EU affairs, policy coordination, and governmental strategy development to his new role on the Supervisory Board," said Ligita Austrupe, Chairperson of the Supervisory Board at RB Rail AS. "As the Secretary General of the Ministry of Climate of Estonia, with responsibilities that encompass transport and mobility issues, he has a significant role in shaping Estonia's approach to sustainable development. In these challenging socio-economic times, strong participation and oversight of the project by all three Baltic States is crucial. I extend a warm welcome to Keit Kasemets as he takes on this important role within Rail Baltica."
The Supervisory Board of RB Rail AS is composed of six members, each elected for a three-year term, with two representatives nominated by each of the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The Shareholder Agreement mandates that the chairmanship of the Supervisory Board rotates among the member states on an annual basis.
In addition to welcoming Keit Kasemets, the Supervisory Board has made the decisions to elect Keit Kasemets and Romas Svedas as Vice-Chairmen of Supervisory Board, to appoint Ligita Austrupe, Keit Kasemets and Arenijus Jackus as Audit and Risk Committee members and Arenijus Jackus as the Chairman of Audit and Risk Committee, to appoint Romas Svedas, Arnis Kākulis and Sandor Liive as Human Resources Committee members and to appoint Sandor Liive as the Chairman of Human Resources Committee.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Signe Nīgale, RB Rail AS, Head of Communication and International Relations Department
E-mail: signe.nigale@railbaltica.org | Phone number: +371 29116146