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The Italian EU Presidency priorities correspond to the needs of today’s Europe, according to the common letter to Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, signed on 21 July by Foreign Ministers of the Baltic States Antanas Valionis, Sandra Kalniete, Kristiina Ojuland and Polish Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz. The letter accentuates the priority that the Italian Presidency gives to various transport infrastructure development projects. According to the ministers participating in the session of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels, the implementation of these projects will not only encourage the economic growth of the larger Union but also ensure equal terms and quality of access to all Member States. The letter states that the creation of modern road and railway networks in the Baltic Sea region, namely the Pan European Transport Corridor No. I (widely known as Via Baltica and Rail Baltica), the Pan European Transport Corridors No. II and VI and the sea motorway linking the Baltic Sea region with Western and Southern Europe through Poland would provide an excellent connection between the North, the East and the South of Europe, thus meeting the important goals of creating better access to speedily developing new European markets. Furthermore, the ministers believe that the successful implementation of the transport infrastructure projects will be beneficial to the New Eastern neighbours. “The elimination of bottlenecks and the balanced development of North-South and East-West connections were outlined by the Italian Presidency as priority objectives. We therefore count on the Presidency's attention and support to our region, where these problems are more than obvious,” – the letter says. The letter also confirms the unwavering commitment by Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland to integrate their energy systems into the common European energy market. According to the ministers, the implementation of this objective would be facilitated with the further EU support to the joint Lithuanian-Polish energy project “Power Bridge” and the connection of Estonian and Finnish power systems.