From the decree to the Court of Auditors’ rejection: all the stages of the Strait Bridge project

The investigation by the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office has descended upon the already troubled case of Strait Bridge at the most delicate moment: as the government attempts to get the project – a flagship initiative of Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini – back on track, having derailed before Christmas with the rejection by the Court of Auditors. Investigators are focusing precisely on the alleged manoeuvres to influence the Court of Auditors’ review of the legality of the final project’s approval: a substantial case file, still at the preliminary investigation stage, which places the accounting judge Tommaso Miele under investigation, as well as Giacomo Saccomanno, head of the Lega in Calabria and a member of the board of directors of the Stretto di Messina company until last May.

The CEO Pietro Ciucci immediately distances himself from the investigation, stating that the company is “completely uninvolved” and assuring the investigators of “full cooperation”. He adds: “I have never had any discussions or received any communications relating to the subject of the investigation from Mr Saccomanno or any other suspect.” This distancing comes as the investigation casts a shadow over the most sensitive stages of the approval procedures. It also shines a spotlight once more on an infrastructure project which, from the 2023 decree that revived the concessionaire, through the CIPESS resolution of 6 August 2025, right up to the failure to register with the Court of Auditors and the rejection of the addendum to the concession, has experienced constant setbacks. Turning to more recent times, the latest timetable had envisaged a new CIPESS resolution to be submitted to the Court of Auditors by June. This new legal chapter now risks further complicating the process, although sources close to the case assure us that the bridge’s new course will not be called into question by the Public Prosecutor’s investigation.

In the beginning was Decree-Law No. 35 of 2023, the so-called ‘Ponte Decree’. It is the cornerstone of the project’s revival: it reactivates the Stretto di Messina company, reinstates the concessionaire, redefines governance and procedures, re-establishes the relationship with the main contractor Eurolink, and sets the framework for updating the final design. It is the political move by which the Meloni government, at the instigation of Infrastructure Minister Salvini, decided to breathe new life into one of the flagship projects of the Berlusconi era. From there, a lengthy technical phase began. The company becomes operational again, the project is updated, work begins on the new economic and financial plan and on mending the old contractual framework. It is ANAC, initially, that raises an eyebrow: the restart of a very old contract, without new competition, risks breaching procurement rules.

It was not until 2025 that another turning point occurred. On 9 April, the Council of Ministers approved the Iropi report, the document by which the government recognised that the Bridge served imperative reasons of significant public interest. This is a crucial step from an environmental perspective too, as it serves to uphold the project’s compliance with European regulations on habitats and the protection of conservation areas. Within the same framework, the Bridge is also designated as infrastructure of military interest, opening up the possibility of classifying it as a ‘dual-use’ project, capable of serving both civilian and strategic purposes.

On 6 August 2025, the most significant political milestone takes place: the CIPESS, in a session chaired by Prime Minister Meloni, approves the final design for the Strait Bridge. Salvini speaks of the project being ready by 2032, linking it to other major infrastructure projects expected within the same timeframe, from the Turin-Lyon line to the Brenner tunnel. The stated cost is 13.5 billion. The CIPESS’s approval seems to be the decisive green light, even though the Court of Auditors’ prior review still remains. And that is where the dossier begins to run aground.