Environmental associations expressed
criticism of government plans to build a bridge linking Calabria
and Sicily across the Strait of Messina during a parliamentary
hearing on Wednesday.
Environmental watchdog Italia Nostra told the the Lower House
environment committee that the project is "the umpteenth white
elephant", adding that investment is instead needed in road and
rail infrastructure in Sicily and Calabria to bring the two
regions into line with the rest of the country.
For its part, WWF put the emphasis on the "extremely high and
unsustainable" environmental cost of the project, which has been
the talk of many Italian governments but has never got beyond
the planning stage for several reasons including environmental
concerns, fear of mafia infiltration and the 10 billion euro
price tag.
"The entire Strait of Messina area is a protected area" under
the EU Habitats Directive, said WWF Institutional Relations
director Stefano Lenzi.
Non-profit association Kyoto Club, engaged in reaching
international and European greenhouse gas reduction targets,
described the project as "harmful and unnecessary".
"We can't make sense of it from a transportation perspective and
we don't see it as a priority for the country," said vice
president Francesco Ferrante, adding that the money would be
better spent on the current ecological transition.
Parliament is in the process of converting into law a decree
passed by Premier Giorgia Meloni's cabinet in mid-March
resurrecting the Messina Bridge project.
Deputy Premier and Infrastructure and Transport Minister Matteo
Salvini, one of the project's strongest proponents, hailed the
development as a "historic day for the whole of Italy".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
