Italian fury at European Commission's plan to ‘divert’ bridge funds to Malta

News about the ‘diversion’ of billions of euro’s to finance the so-called ‘European corridor’ within the Trans European Network (TEN), emerged from draft commission documents into the EU’s 2020 budget.

Brussels is proposing that the projected Corridor 1 Berlin-Palermo be replaced by Corridor 5 Helsinki-Valletta.

The project now proposes a straight motorway and rail link from Helsinki in Flinland straight to Naples in Italy, then carries on straight to Malta via the ‘Highway of the Seas’ which will complete the transport network across the far North and the far South of Europe.

Shipping companies are already receiving funding to build new ships to support the concept of the ‘Highway of the Seas’ that is also intended to reduce the traffic of merchandise movement via road, while more funds are being given to governments – including Malta – to modernise harbour infrastructure.

But the change in plans hits Italy hard, as it now puts the planned bridge between Sicily and the mainland in the balance.

Sicily’s regional governor Raffaele Lombardo has called on Silvio Berlusconi’s government in Rome to act fast and not let the funds be diverted and have the bridge project dumped.

While Lombardo has requested to be included in official talks scheduled to be held with the EU Commission over the matter, further talks are expected to be held with the commission’s vice-president Antonio Tajani, the transport commissioner Siim Kallas and also the EU’s chief diplomat Catherine Ashton.

The bridge is expected to cost billions of euros, and should it be completely omitted from benefitting from EU funds means that the already cash-strapped Italian government cannot finance it.

Also, the matter poses a huge problem for the Italian government given that public tenders have already been issued to a number of companies who still need to be paid