Overview

• The transport ministry aims to secure CIPESS approval by the end of July to classify the €13 billion bridge under NATO’s 1.5% strategic infrastructure category.
• Officials have scheduled a TEN-T committee meeting in Brussels to evaluate including the strait crossing in the EU’s military mobility network.
• NATO leaders agreed to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, allocating 3.5% for conventional forces and 1.5% to strategic projects like the Messina Bridge.
• A government report cited by Politico Europe highlights the bridge’s potential to accelerate deployment of Italian and allied forces across the Mediterranean.
• Rome is weighing funding through national budgets, the EU safeguard clause, or co-financing under EU COFOG rules to ensure the project counts toward NATO targets.