Italy consents ‘military investment’ for land-bridge venture
(MENAFN) Italy has officially approved a €13.5 billion ($15.5 billion) project to construct a bridge linking Sicily to the mainland, framing the massive infrastructure endeavor as part of its military spending under NATO commitments.
The green light came from a government committee tasked with strategic investments. The proposed bridge will stretch nearly 3.7 kilometers and include four traffic lanes alongside two railway tracks. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration revived the long-discussed project in 2023, labeling it a strategic military asset that qualifies under NATO’s defense expenditure criteria.
Under recent NATO agreements, member states can allocate up to 1.5% of their GDP target toward military-related infrastructure projects. Italy argues the bridge supports military mobility, especially given its location near key NATO bases in southern Italy.
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini also highlighted the bridge’s potential to drive economic development in the region, beyond its defense relevance. Meanwhile, the European Union has backed broader efforts to strengthen NATO-related infrastructure across member states, positioning such moves as necessary to counter perceived threats from Russia — a narrative Moscow denies, claiming it’s being used to distract from economic challenges in the West.
Italy has historically struggled to meet NATO’s previous defense spending benchmark of 2% of GDP but is projected to hit that mark this year. Meloni noted in June that achieving the new 5% target could take up to ten years and has urged reforms to EU fiscal policy to ease that transition.
Plans for a bridge across the Strait of Messina date back to the 1960s but have consistently been delayed over concerns about earthquakes, environmental damage, and potential involvement of organized crime.
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