In 2006 the Federal Ministers of Transport and Infrastructure of Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Italy signed a letter of intent to conjointly develop the Baltic-Adriatic Transport Corridor. This included the extension of the existing Pan-European Transport Corridor VI from Gdansk, Warsaw, Katowice, Zilina with branches to Poznan and Breclav/Brno and its South-Western extension to Bratislava/Vienna, Graz, Klagenfurt, Udine, Trieste/Venice and Bologna.

The favourable economic development of the Baltic States and the central and eastern European countries has resulted in the Danzig–Warsaw–Vienna section being declared a Priority Project (PP23) within the TEN-T policy. The states bordering are endeavouring to ensure, in the context of the TEN (Trans European Networks) revisions in 2009/2010, that the high capacity railway which starts in Poland is connected to Upper Italy. The five partner countries will cooperate in terms of an efficient and environment-friendly North-South interconnection of Central Europe considering the EU (eastern) enlargement and the great importance of a close cooperation in the development of the axis.

The project will contribute to the improvement of the economic development along the axis based on the best possible integration of corresponding markets and a balanced development (5 countries) in terms of economic and related ecological impacts of transport. It will be given top priority to the shift from road to rail transport mode and the efficient development and use of environment-friendly rail transport means.