Meloni and Salvini lash out at court ruling and vow to forge ahead with construction of bridge.
Italy’s audit court on Wednesday rejected the government’s plan to build a bridge between mainland Italy and Sicily in a setback for the contentious infrastructure project.
The ruling casts doubt on the viability of the €13.5 billion structure which, if built, would span 3.3 kilometres across the Strait of Messina and would become the world’s longest suspension bridge.
The audit court, which oversees public spending, rejected the resolution by the governmental economic planning committee CIPESS which approved the massive infrastructure project in August.
Magistrates reportedly raised concerns about the procedures followed by the government, particularly regarding exemptions from environmental protection restrictions as well as the increased costs for the construction of the bridge and related projects, such as roads and railways.
Reaction
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni slammed the court’s decision as “intolerable interference”, describing it on X as “yet another act of judicial overreach over the choices of the government and parliament”.
Meloni insisted that her administration had addressed all the technical questions raised by the court and that the ruling would not halt the planned bridge.
La mancata registrazione da parte della Corte dei Conti della delibera CIPESS riguardante il Ponte sullo Stretto è l’ennesimo atto di invasione della giurisdizione sulle scelte del Governo e del Parlamento. Sul piano tecnico, i ministeri interessati e la Presidenza del Consiglio…
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) October 29, 2025
Deputy premier and transport minister Matteo Salvini, who resurrected the controversial construction project after it was scrapped a decade ago over budget constraints, also hit out at the ruling in a post on X.
Describing it as “a serious blow to the country”, Salvini said the ruling “appears to be a political choice rather than a calm technical judgment”, stressing that the government is “determined to pursue all possible avenues to start the works”.
Angelo Bonelli of the Green and Left Alliance, a vocal opponent of the bridge project, hailed the ruling as a “great victory for the rule of law” and called for Salvini’s resignation.
What happens next?
Technically, even after the court’s negative opinion, the government could still decide to move forward with the project, according to news agency ANSA.
This would involve Meloni seeking a resolution from the cabinet to override the court’s objections by deeming the move as being in the higher public interest.
The audit court is expected to release the full reasoning behind its ruling within 30 days.
Criticism
Critics have raised concerns about the structural viability of the bridge in an earthquake-prone area as well as its serious 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, such as in healthcare or by improving existing railway infrastructure.
Plans to build a bridge between Messina and Calabria date back to Roman times and have been rejected by previous governments due to high costs and engineering impracticability.
