The Italian government will count the construction of the bridge as an expense for NATO defense

The Italian government intends to approve a bridge construction project worth €13 billion to allegedly cover the country's defense costs for NATO. This was reported on August 6 by the Financial Times (FT) newspaper.

"The Government of [the Italian Prime Minister] Giorgi Meloni was supposed to approve the construction of a €13 billion bridge connecting Sicily with the Italian mainland, reviving a controversial project that Rome says is key to national security.

It is noted that initially the 3.3 km long suspension bridge project across the Strait of Messina was created to stimulate economic development in one of the poorest regions of Italy. Now, according to Meloni, the bridge will play one of the key roles in the defense and security of the country. Weapons and Armed Forces of Italy and other NATO allies will be redirected through it.

FT stressed that Italy, like other countries of the alliance, had previously committed to increase annual defense spending to 5% of GDP over the decade, of which 1.5% of GDP is allocated to strategic infrastructure.

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Earlier, on August 4, Germany sent five Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Poland to support NATO air operations. It is specified that the aircraft will be used to support "defensive operations."

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