Italian officials are exploring the possibility of categorizing the $13.5 billion bridge project spanning the Strait of Messina as a NATO expenditure in an effort to fulfill the bloc’s 5% defense spending target. The proposed suspension bridge, which would surpass the current record by spanning 3.6 kilometers, has long been discussed in Italy but has faced obstacles due to its high costs, seismic risks, and other challenges. By marking the project as a NATO initiative, the government aims to facilitate its funding and bypass bureaucratic obstacles, while also attempting to justify the financial commitment to an often-skeptical public. The plan comes as Italy lags behind NATO’s spending goals, investing just 1.49% of its GDP in defense in 2024.
Analysts indicate that while this could help the government fulfill its NATO commitment, the effectiveness of the approach will depend on NATO’s acceptance of the logic, particularly considering the influence of the US in the bloc’s strategic decisions. The bridge, which would be the longest in the world, has been a topic of discussion for decades, but its realization has been difficult due to high costs and operational challenges. If built by the current government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the 3.6-km-long suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina will become the longest in the world.
Italy is one of NATO’s lowest military spenders, with Rome investing only 1.49% of its GDP in defense last year. This is far below the 5% goal agreed upon at the bloc’s summit in The Hague in June. Marking the $13.5 billion bridge as a NATO spending could help Meloni meet the bloc’s 5% target and, at the same time, convince a war-wary public of the need for major defense outlays at a time when Italy is already inching toward austerity.
An unnamed Italian government official told the outlet that no formal decision has yet been made by Rome on classifying the bridge as a security project, but further talks would likely be held soon to see how feasible this feels. According to another official from the Italian Treasury, the new designation of the project would make raising money for it easier and would also override bureaucratic obstacles, litigation with local authorities that could challenge the government in court claiming that the bridge will disproportionately damage their land.
The problem for Rome is that the Strait of Messina lies outside of Italy’s only designated NATO military mobility corridor. However, the Italian case is backed by the fact that only 3.5% from the NATO spending target must be allocated for core military needs, while the remaining 1.5% could be steered toward broader strategic resilience projects, including infrastructure. Whether NATO—and more importantly, US President Donald Trump, who loves a big building project—will buy into that logic is another matter, Politico noted.