‘Sicily bridge is not defence spending’ NATO tells Meloni

 ROME - The Italian government's ambitious attempt to classify investments in the Strait of Messina bridge as part of military spending under NATO’s new 5% GDP target, is facing strong opposition from the United States, reports Il Fatto Quotidiano.

 In an interview with the US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, he stated that according to the report, the US, or rather Trump’s administration, does not approve of creative accounting by EU allies in order to meet NATO's spending target, “thus warning Italy as the government considers counting the bridge over the Strait as military expenditure.”

 “I’ve had conversations even today with some countries that are taking a very broad view of defence spending,” said Whitaker. “It is very important that the 5% target specifically refers to defence and related expenses, and that the commitment is made seriously,” he added, stressing that he is “closely monitoring” the issue.

 The idea of including the bridge costs (at least €13.5 billion) in the 1.5% of GDP allocated to “security-related” spending, the second component of NATO's target (the other being 3.5% for actual military spending), has been circulating for some time.

 The Italian Ministry of Defence itself acknowledged this in early July in response to a parliamentary question from Angelo Bonelli. “It has also emerged in discussions that a fixed crossing infrastructure over the Strait, capable of ensuring physical and logistical continuity between Sicily and the mainland, would reduce the time needed to deploy military forces,” the ministry noted.

 The same arguments were made by the government in a report sent to Brussels in April, in which it justified the massive environmental impact of the project on the grounds of “imperative reasons of public interest,” stating that the bridge “could facilitate logistics and support movements for NATO operations.”

 Furthermore, the government’s goal appears to be not only to include the bridge, but also the new breakwater dam at the Port of Genoa under military spending.

rs