Latest news with #ItalianCourtofAuditors
Indian Express
07-08-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Rome approves construction of world's longest suspension bridge
Despite decades of financial and environmental delays, Italy on Wednesday finally approved the construction of what will be the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland region of Calabria. The 3.7 kilometer bridge will be built on one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean. With the ability to withstand earthquakes, the bridge will break the record currently held by Turkey's Canakkale Bridge across the Dardanelles. The bridge is a part of the Messina Bridge project, a latest attempt by Italian officials, and will create over 120,000 jobs a year. Italian Transport minister Matteo Salvini said the bridge will bring economic growth to the area, as the regions of Sicilia and Calabria are two of the poorest in Europe. Prime Ministr Georgia Meloni Wednesday said that the project has not been easy and that she considers it as an 'investment for the present and future'. 'We enjoy difficult challenges when they make sense,' Meloni said, as quoted by BBC. Meloni government has also set aside 13.5 billion euros ($15.63 billion) over the next 10 years to build it and surrounding facilities. According to the final project, the bridge over the Messina strait will span 3.3km (2.05 miles) and stretch between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers, with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side. Rome hopes to classify the bridge as a military expenditure, allowing it to count toward NATO's 5% GDP defence spending target. However, the project will require to go through a clearance by Italian Court of Auditors as well as environmental agencies, at both, national and state level. This isn't the first time the project has seen a halt. Since the first time the project was announced, which was approximately 50 years ago, multiple proposals for the bridge have been shelved over the years for different reasons, and it has long faced strong opposition. The opposition includes local residents on either side of the strait, whose properties may be seized, and could legally challenge the decision, meaning the construction of the bridge may be delayed or stalled altogether. Local politicians have expressed their unhappiness amid concerns that huge amounts of taxpayers' money would be siphoned off by the Sicilian and Calabrian mafias, which have a broad influence over politics and society in southern Italy. Local groups have also opposed the bridge, saying its construction would use millions of litres of water a day while both Sicily and Calabria regularly struggle with drought. (With inputs from BBC, Reuters)
Saudi Gazette
07-08-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Italy gives final approval for world's longest suspension bridge to Sicily
ROME — The authorities in Rome have given final approval to a €13.5bn ($15.6bn) project to build the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the region of Calabria, on the tip of Italy's boot. The designers claim the bridge – which is due to be built on one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean – will be able to withstand earthquakes. It is the latest attempt by Italian officials to launch the Messina Bridge project — several have tried over the years but plans have later been scrapped due to concerns over cost, environmental damage, safety or potential mafia meddling. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has admitted the most recent project has not been easy. However, she said on Wednesday that she considers it an "investment in Italy's present and future". "We enjoy difficult challenges when they make sense," Meloni said. According to the final project, the bridge over the Messina strait will span 3.3km (2.05 miles) and stretch between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers, with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side. Rome is hoping to classify the bridge as a military expenditure to make it count towards the Nato target of 5% of GDP spent on defence. Transport minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing Lega party and a government ally of Meloni, celebrated the milestone, saying that the goal was to complete the bridge between 2032 and 2033. He also claimed the bridge would create 120,000 jobs a year and bring economic growth to the area. The regions of Sicilia and Calabria are two of the poorest in Europe. However, the project will still need to be rubber-stamped by the Italian Court of Auditors as well as environmental agencies, both at national and EU level. Local residents on either side of the strait whose properties may be expropriated will also have to be consulted and could legally challenge the decision, meaning the construction of the bridge may be delayed or stall altogether. It would not be the first time that the bridge's building has been held up. Since the first plans for it were drawn up more than 50 years ago, various ideas for it have had to be shelved for various reasons and it has long faced stern opposition. This has included concerns that huge amounts of taxpayers' money would be siphoned off by the Sicilian and Calabrian mafias, which have a broad influence over politics and society in southern Italy. On Wednesday, local politicians reiterated their unhappiness with the government's decision. Senator Nicola Irto of the Democratic Party (PD) called the project was "controversial and divisive", saying it would divert "crucial resources from local transportation, modern infrastructure, safe schools and quality healthcare facilities". Giusy Caminiti, the mayor of Villa San Giovanni near where the bridge would be built on the Calabrian shore, said her town would be badly affected and urged more time for consultations. Grassroots Calabrian committee "No to the Bridge" slammed Wednesday's announcement and said it was a political manoeuvre, rather than the outcome of a thorough technical evaluation. Local groups that oppose the bridge also say its construction would use millions of litres of water a day while both Sicily and Calabria regularly struggle with drought. Currently the only way for trains to cross the Strait is to have the coaches shunted onto ferries and carried over the sea in a 30-minute journey. — BBC
Saudi Gazette
07-08-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Italy gives final approval for world's longest suspension bridge to Sicily
ROME — The authorities in Rome have given final approval to a €13.5bn ($15.6bn) project to build the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the region of Calabria, on the tip of Italy's boot. The designers claim the bridge – which is due to be built on one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean – will be able to withstand earthquakes. It is the latest attempt by Italian officials to launch the Messina Bridge project — several have tried over the years but plans have later been scrapped due to concerns over cost, environmental damage, safety or potential mafia meddling. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has admitted the most recent project has not been easy. However, she said on Wednesday that she considers it an "investment in Italy's present and future". "We enjoy difficult challenges when they make sense," Meloni to the final project, the bridge over the Messina strait will span 3.3km (2.05 miles) and stretch between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers, with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either is hoping to classify the bridge as a military expenditure to make it count towards the Nato target of 5% of GDP spent on minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing Lega party and a government ally of Meloni, celebrated the milestone, saying that the goal was to complete the bridge between 2032 and also claimed the bridge would create 120,000 jobs a year and bring economic growth to the area. The regions of Sicilia and Calabria are two of the poorest in the project will still need to be rubber-stamped by the Italian Court of Auditors as well as environmental agencies, both at national and EU residents on either side of the strait whose properties may be expropriated will also have to be consulted and could legally challenge the decision, meaning the construction of the bridge may be delayed or stall would not be the first time that the bridge's building has been held up. Since the first plans for it were drawn up more than 50 years ago, various ideas for it have had to be shelved for various reasons and it has long faced stern has included concerns that huge amounts of taxpayers' money would be siphoned off by the Sicilian and Calabrian mafias, which have a broad influence over politics and society in southern Wednesday, local politicians reiterated their unhappiness with the government's Nicola Irto of the Democratic Party (PD) called the project was "controversial and divisive", saying it would divert "crucial resources from local transportation, modern infrastructure, safe schools and quality healthcare facilities".Giusy Caminiti, the mayor of Villa San Giovanni near where the bridge would be built on the Calabrian shore, said her town would be badly affected and urged more time for Calabrian committee "No to the Bridge" slammed Wednesday's announcement and said it was a political manoeuvre, rather than the outcome of a thorough technical groups that oppose the bridge also say its construction would use millions of litres of water a day while both Sicily and Calabria regularly struggle with the only way for trains to cross the Strait is to have the coaches shunted onto ferries and carried over the sea in a 30-minute journey. — BBC
Kuwait Times
07-08-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Italy approves plans for world's longest suspension bridge
ROME: Italy's government on Wednesday approved a controversial 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build what would be the world's longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition hailed the state-funded project as an economic boost for the impoverished south of Italy—only for critics to warn that it risks turning into a financial black hole. Italian politicians have for decades debated a bridge over the Strait of Messina, a narrow strip of water between the island of Sicily and the region of Calabria, at the toe of Italy's boot. But ministers say Wednesday's approval by a government committee, CIPESS, is the furthest the project has ever got. Advocates say the bridge, due for completion by 2032, is at the cutting edge of engineering, able to withstand high winds and earthquakes in a region that lies across two tectonic plates. It has been designed with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side, with a suspended span of 3.3 kilometers (2.05 miles) -- a world record—stretching between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also responsible for transport and infrastructure, told reporters work could begin as soon as September or October. He said the bridge and the associated new roads, railways and stations would act as a 'development accelerator' for impoverished Sicily and Calabria, boosting economic growth and creating tens of thousands of jobs, many of them skilled. Yet the project has sparked local protests over the environmental impact and the cost, with critics saying the money could be better spent elsewhere. Nicola Fratoianni, an MP of the Greens and Left Alliance, slammed a 'mega-project that will divert a huge amount of public resources' and 'risks turning into a gigantic black hole'. The Italian Court of Auditors has criticized the extent of debt-laden state's investment in this one project in its assessment of the 2024 budget. The center-left Democratic Party warned that the project 'tramples environmental, safety and European norms—and common sense'.—AFP The public prosecutor of Messina also recently warned of the risk that organized crime would benefit from the project. Salvini on Wednesday insisted the government would do everything to prevent mafia infiltration. The longest suspended bridge in the world is currently the 1915 Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, which has a main span of 2.023 kilometers (1.257 miles) between its towers and opened in 2022. Many believe that Italy's ambitious project will never actually materialize, pointing to a long history of public works announced, financed, yet never completed in Italy. The project has had several false starts, with the first plans drawn up more than 50 years ago. Eurolink, a consortium led by Italian group Webuild, won the tender in 2006 only for the government to cancel it after the eurozone debt crisis. The consortium remains the contractor on the revived project. This time, Rome may have an added incentive to press ahead—by classifying the cost of the bridge as defence spending. Italy has agreed along with other NATO allies to massively increase its defense expenditure to five percent of GDP, at the demand of US President Donald Trump. Of this, 1.5 percent can be spent on 'defence-related' areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure—and Rome is hoping the Messina bridge will qualify, particularly as Sicily hosts a NATO base. Currently the only way to cross the Messina Strait is by ferry, taking at least an hour by car and two on the train—where individual carriages are loaded onto the ferry—but the bridge aims to cut journey times to 10 and 15 minutes, respectively. Meloni insisted Wednesday it was a 'demonstration of Italy's willpower and technical expertise' that would 'form the backbone of a faster and more modern nation'. – AFP
Int'l Business Times
06-08-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Italy Approves Plans For World's Longest Suspension Bridge
Italy's government on Wednesday approved a controversial 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build what would be the world's longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition hailed the state-funded project as an economic boost for the impoverished south of Italy -- only for critics to warn that it risks turning into a financial black hole. Italian politicians have for decades debated a bridge over the Strait of Messina, a narrow strip of water between the island of Sicily and the region of Calabria, at the toe of Italy's boot. But ministers say Wednesday's approval by a government committee, CIPESS, is the furthest the project has ever got. Advocates say the bridge, due for completion by 2032, is at the cutting edge of engineering, able to withstand high winds and earthquakes in a region that lies across two tectonic plates. It has been designed with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side, with a suspended span of 3.3 kilometres (2.05 miles) -- a world record -- stretching between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also responsible for transport and infrastructure, told reporters work could begin as soon as September or October. He said the bridge and the associated new roads, railways and stations would act as a "development accelerator" for impoverished Sicily and Calabria, boosting economic growth and creating tens of thousands of jobs, many of them skilled. Yet the project has sparked local protests over the environmental impact and the cost, with critics saying the money could be better spent elsewhere. Nicola Fratoianni, an MP of the Greens and Left Alliance, slammed a "mega-project that will divert a huge amount of public resources" and "risks turning into a gigantic black hole". The Italian Court of Auditors has criticised the extent of debt-laden state's investment in this one project in its assessment of the 2024 budget. The centre-left Democratic Party warned that the project "tramples environmental, safety and European norms -- and common sense". The public prosecutor of Messina also recently warned of the risk that organised crime would benefit from the project. Salvini on Wednesday insisted the government would do everything to prevent mafia infiltration. The longest suspended bridge in the world is currently the 1915 Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, which has a main span of 2,023 kilometres (1,257 miles) between its towers and opened in 2022. Many believe that Italy's ambitious project will never actually materialise, pointing to a long history of public works announced, financed, yet never completed in Italy. The project has had several false starts, with the first plans drawn up more than 50 years ago. Eurolink, a consortium led by Italian group Webuild, won the tender in 2006 only for the government to cancel it after the eurozone debt crisis. The consortium remains the contractor on the revived project. This time, Rome may have an added incentive to press ahead -- by classifying the cost of the bridge as defence spending. Italy has agreed along with other NATO allies to massively increase its defence expenditure to five percent of GDP, at the demand of US President Donald Trump. Of this, 1.5 percent can be spent on "defence-related" areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure -- and Rome is hoping the Messina bridge will qualify, particularly as Sicily hosts a NATO base. Currently the only way to cross the Messina Strait is by ferry, taking at least an hour by car and two on the train -- where individual carriages are loaded onto the ferry -- but the bridge aims to cut journey times to 10 and 15 minutes, respectively. Meloni insisted Wednesday it was a "demonstration of Italy's willpower and technical expertise" that would "form the backbone of a faster and more modern nation".
