Clarification comes after US ambassador to NATO warned against “creative accounting”.
The Italian government on Wednesday ruled out reported plans to classify the construction of a €13.5 billion bridge to Sicily as a strategic military asset to meet NATO’s five per cent GDP defence spending.
The clarification from Italy’s transport ministry came after the US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in an interview with Bloomberg that the expenditure target should not include spending on “bridges that have no strategic military value”.
Whitaker warned against EU allies using “creative accounting” methods to meet the spending target, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, in an article titled: “US Frowns on Italy’s Idea of Making Sicily Bridge a NATO Asset”.
Italy, which currently spends around 1.5 per cent of its GDP on defence, had reportedly planned to include the €13.5 billion construction costs of a 3.3 kilometre-long bridge over the Strait of Messina, arguing that the contentious structure could serve dual civilian and strategic purposes.
In April, the government adopted a memorandum describing the bridge as being of “strategic importance for national and international security” that will play “a key role in defence and security, facilitating the movement of Italian armed forces and NATO allies”, enabling the “rapid transport of heavy vehicles, troops, and resources both by road and rail”.
However on Wednesday, hot on the heels of Bloomberg’s interview with Ambassador Whitaker, the transport ministry clarified: “The Strait of Messina Bridge is already entirely financed by state resources, and no defence funds are earmarked”.
“The possible use of NATO resources is not currently on the agenda and, more importantly, it is not an absolute necessity,” the ministry said in a statement, reiterating that the plan is not under discussion.
Last month the governmental economic planning committee CIPESS gave the green light to what would be the world’s longest suspension bridge.
Deputy premier and transport minister Matteo Salvini, who resurrected the multi-billion project after the planned construction of the bridge was scrapped a decade ago over budget constraints, told reporters that the bridge should be in operation “by 2032 or 2033”.
Prime minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the bridge as “a strategic project for the development of the entire nation”, describing it as “an investment in Italy’s present and its future”.
However critics have voiced concerns about its structural viability in an earthquake-prone area as well as its environmental impact and the risk of mafia infiltration.
The project has also faced criticism over its exorbitant cost, with opponents arguing that the money could be better spent elsewhere.
