Overview

• Italy’s audit court sent formal observations on the Cipess decision for the Strait of Messina bridge and gave Palazzo Chigi 20 days to respond, after which judges may rule on the record or the administration could withdraw the act.
• The filing cites insufficient motivation for the Cipess approval and flags procedural issues including the use of web links to transmit documents and the late submission of an interministerial decree dated August 1.
• The court requests assurances on compliance with Article 6 of the EU Habitats Directive and asks for updates on talks with the European Commission, while also questioning whether the April Iropi decision should face preventive legitimacy review under law 20/1994.
• Economic concerns include a mismatch between the KPMG assessment (€10.4815 billion) and the Cipess figure (€10.5088 billion) and sharp increases in safety costs and compensatory works.
• Judges seek clarifications on traffic projections and the tariff plan used to justify viability; the infrastructure ministry calls the exchange routine as opposition leaders label it a de facto rejection and press for parliamentary scrutiny.