Infrastructure

Ponte sullo Stretto, new stop by the Court of Auditors. Salvini: 'No surprises'

The Court did not approve the third additional act of the agreement between the Ministry of Transport and Stretto di Messina Spa

by Lorenzo Pace

17 November 2025

PONTE SULLO STRETTO DI MESSINA RENDERING PROGETTO PROGETTI CORTE DEI CONTI BOCCIA IL PONTE SULLO STRETTO - FOTO ARCHIVIO

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Reasons within a month
Stop to Supplementary Act III of the Mit-Stretto spa agreement
Salvini is not surprised
Stretto di Messina company convenes board meeting
Opposition reaction

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

A new stop by the Court of Auditors on the Ponte sullo Stretto di Messina bridge. After the first one, which denied the legitimacy visa on the Cipess resolution at the end of October, another block came from the accounting magistrates, who did not grant the legitimacy visa to the third additional act of the agreement between the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructures (MIT) and Stretto di Messina Spa.

The reasons within a month

The decision of the Central Legitimacy Control Section of the Court of Auditors, which will be reasoned within a month (the reasons for the first stop are still awaited), came after the 17 November meeting.

Stop to the third additional act of the Mit-Stretto spa agreement

In particular, the Court of Auditors denied the legitimacy of the interministerial decree (no. 190 of 1 August) between the MIT and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) "pursuant to article 2, paragraph 8, of decree-law no. 35 of 31 March 2023, converted, with amendments, by law no. 58 of 26 May 2023, concerning "Urgent provisions for the construction of the stable link between Sicily and Calabria"approval of the 3rd additional act to the convention of 30 December 2003, no. 3077, between the MIT and the company Stretto di Messina spa".

Salvini is not surprised

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, however, is not surprised. "It is the inevitable consequence of the first stop by the Court of Auditors. Our experts are already at work to clarify all the points. I remain absolutely determined and confident'.

Precisely what the MIT also emphasised in a note. The halt came after a discussion in which 'the preliminary issue of the preclusive effect that the non-registration of the Cipess resolution has on today's decision emerged,' it reads. 'The Ministry remains confident about the continuation of the administrative process while awaiting the Court's motivations.

Stretto di Messina company convenes board of directors meeting

The company Stretto di Messina Spa also intervened, reiterating that the 'ordinary course' of the Court of Auditors is underway. "I do not consider this to be a new act," said president Giuseppe Recchi, "as the topics discussed are closely related. We have decided to convene a Board of Directors for 25 November to examine the situation while awaiting the Court of Auditors' motivations expected in the coming days'.

The same message came from the CEO of Stretto di Messina Spa, Pietro Ciucci: "It was foreseeable," he said, "because the act of agreement is functionally linked to the resolution of approval of the final project for the Cipess bridge on 6 August. We await the reasons for both measures, in the conviction that all the new in-depth studies requested will be provided, with the full cooperation of Stretto di Messina, in order to continue with the construction of the bridge, a strategic work of pre-eminent national interest, as defined by law".

The reaction of the oppositions

Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein emphasised that the Court of Auditors is 'blocking an unjust, wrong, harmful and old project'

Harder Angelo Bonelli of the Green and Left Alliance is a fact of "absolute gravity. The Meloni government was committing public funds within a framework considered not legitimate, for a EUR 14 billion project without any technical, environmental or legal certainty. I am ready to denounce the government even to the European Public Prosecutor's Office if it should insist. The rejection effectively precludes the possibility of signing the programme agreement between the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of the Economy and Finance and the Stretto di Messina company to define the administrative and financial commitments necessary for the design and construction of the bridge. Therefore, the entire legal-administrative framework regulating the relationship between the State and the concessionaire is missing".