| ROME Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is rebranding the long-promised €13 billion Strait of Messina bridge as a strategic NATO corridor to finally get the European Commission on board – and unlock both political and financial support. Read more.
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MADRID
Spanish government defends arms deal with Israeli company despite pledge. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska defended a multi-million-euro Israeli ammunition deal before lawmakers on Wednesday, despite Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s earlier pledge to halt arms sales to Israel. “We have a very clear commitment to not acquire armament from Israeli companies”, Marlaska said before Congress. “But mistakes happen.” In October 2024, Marlaska announced the cancellation of a €6.8 million bullet deal with Israeli weapons manufacturer IMI Solutions LDT, in line with the government’s stance on halting arms trade with Israel. But in April, it emerged that the contract had never been formally terminated. Under pressure from left-wing coalition partner Sumar, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would rescind the deal, as tensions threatened to fracture the government. But before lawmakers on Wednesday, Grande-Marlaska said his ministry had decided to continue with the deal despite its “official termination”, arguing his ministry had found no alternatives “that would not be economically detrimental to the state.” Marlaska promised steps would be taken “to ensure this does not happen again.” The debate comes after parliament approved a non-binding motion on Tuesday, urging the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel. (Ines Fernandez-Pontes | Euractiv.es)
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LISBON
Portugal’s new government prioritises railway plans and airline privatisation, says minister. Portugal's minister of infrastructure stated on Wednesday that the investments planned in the National Railway Plan (PFN) are to be implemented "now without delay", pointing to the privatisation of flag carrier TAP and the high-speed rail line as "priorities" for the new government. "The privatisation of TAP is to continue, this is the priority that was already set by the 24th Government and will continue, (...) the construction of the new airport (...), the continuity of the PFN, now meeting deadlines and putting the seven years of delay of Ferrovia 2020 behind us. We have to finish Ferrovia 2020 and start meeting deadlines," Miguel Pinto Luz told journalists on the sidelines of the Portugal Railway Summit. The minister highlighted the importance of railways in ‘structural’ investments for the country. "The railway is essential for ports, (...) for logistics, to ensure that our fellow citizens have mobility and (...) this Government's commitment is clear. The green rail pass has sold more than 300,000 passes and more than 55,000 passengers use the green rail pass every month," he said. In this sense, with "more demand and more passes’ sold, ‘passenger train operator CP has more passengers travelling on regional and intercity trains, and has more revenue, which means that we are not decapitalising CP as some predicted, but rather putting CP at the service of the Portuguese people," said Pinto Luz, who pointed to "more priorities" for the railway. (Mário Rui Fonseca, edited by Cristina Cardoso | Lusa.pt) | 
