ROME
\nItaly\u2019s government said Thursday it would address concerns over a new bridge to Sicily, after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned a court ruling against the project as an \u201cintolerable intrusion.\u201d
\nMeloni\u2019s government in August approved the 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build what would be the world\u2019s longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland.
\nBut in a ruling late Wednesday, the Court of Auditors, which oversees public spending, refused to approve the decision.
\nIt said it would give its reasons within 30 days, but last month it had requested clarification about documentation used on the project, and on costs.
\nMeloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, condemned Wednesday\u2019s ruling as \u201cyet another encroachment on the jurisdiction of the government and parliament.\u201d
\n\u201cThe constitutional reform of the justice system and the reform of the Court of Auditors, both under discussion in the Senate and close to approval, represent the most appropriate response to this intolerable intrusion, which will not stop the government\u2019s action,\u201d she said in a statement.
\nAt the same time, Matteo Salvini, head of the far-right League party who as deputy prime minister and transport minister has championed the bridge, said the ruling appeared to be a \u201cpolitical choice.\u201d
\nYet on Thursday, after Meloni called an emergency meeting with her ministers, the government adopted a more conciliatory tone.
\n\u201cWe await with extreme calm the Court of Auditors\u2019 findings, to which we are confident we can respond point by point, because we have complied with the requirements,\u201d Salvini told reporters.
\nIn a statement, Meloni\u2019s office confirmed the government would respond to each complaint, adding that \u201cthe objective… to proceed with the project remains firm.\u201d
\nItalian politicians have for decades debated a bridge over the Strait of Messina, a narrow strip of water between the Sicily and the region of Calabria, at the toe of Italy\u2019s boot.
\n\u201cWe have waited a century, and we will wait a century and two months,\u201d Salvini added.
\n\u2018Respect for magistrates\u2019
\nThe approval in August by a government committee, CIPESS, is the furthest the project has ever got.
\nAdvocates say the state-funded project will provide an economic boost for the impoverished south of Italy.
\nThe government also hopes the bridge can be classified as a strategic asset, with its costs counting toward the money Italy has committed to spend on defense as part of the NATO military alliance.
\nHowever, critics warn that the project risks turning into a financial black hole.
\nIt has also sparked local protests over the environmental impact, and complaints that the money could be better spent elsewhere.
\nThe Court of Auditors on Thursday said its decision was based on legal aspects of the approval of the bridge, not on the merits of the project.
\nIn a strongly worded decision, it added that any criticism of its decisions \u201cmust be conducted in a context of respect for the work of the magistrates.\u201d
\nIn three years in office, Meloni and her ministers have repeatedly taken aim at the judiciary for decisions they assert are political.
\nParliament on Thursday approved a reform to separate the training, careers and status of judges and prosecutors, whom right-leaning governments in Italy have long accused of colluding to the detriment of the defense.
\nThe reform must now go to a referendum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ROME Italy\u2019s government said Thursday it would address concerns over a new bridge to Sicily, after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned a court ruling against the project as an \u201cintolerable intrusion.\u201d Meloni\u2019s government in August approved the 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build what would be the world\u2019s longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511717,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-511696","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n