Overview

• An interministerial committee granted final authorization and earmarked €13.5 billion for the Strait of Messina project, marking its most advanced stage yet
• The plan must clear a Court of Auditors review before preliminary works can start between September and October 2025
• The government intends to classify the bridge’s cost as defence spending to help Italy meet NATO’s 5 percent GDP target
• Anti-mafia protocols have been reinforced under presidential and parliamentary directives to guard against organised-crime infiltration
• Environmental groups and local residents have filed legal appeals and EU complaints over seismic safety, migratory bird routes and landscape impact