Infrastructure bill: Chamber approves confidence vote, 191 yes votes

The Chamber of Deputies approved the Infrastructure Decree with a vote of confidence of 191 in favor, 102 against, and 2 abstentions. The motions presented to the bill will follow. The decree includes urgent measures to ensure continuity in the construction of strategic infrastructure and the management of public contracts, the proper functioning of the rail and road transport system, the orderly management of state-owned ports and maritime property, as well as the implementation of essential obligations related to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and participation in the European Union in the field of infrastructure and transport.

From new measures for the Messina Bridge to the strengthening of energy storage, from speed camera monitoring to the granting of an extra year for the circulation of Euro 5 diesel cars (limiting any restrictions to cities with over 100,000 inhabitants), to the tougher penalties for those who jeopardize railway safety (including) by crossing the tracks, not to mention the introduction of greater flexibility for the dates of the bathing season and the many new developments planned for the public works and procurement sectors in general. With the vote of confidence passed today in the Chamber of Deputies, the Infrastructure Decree (DL 73/2025) receives its first parliamentary approval. This text (to be converted into law by July 21) significantly enriches its content compared to the measure approved by the Government and published in the Official Journal on May 21. On the substance, the decree is a concentration of measures affecting multiple sectors and has lost some elements that had caused tension even within the majority, such as the increase in highway tolls to fund the maintenance of roads returned to ANAS management. That amendment was ultimately withdrawn.

The provision, which automatically includes the Stretto di Messina company in the list of qualified contracting authorities maintained by the National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC), has been removed from the government-approved version of the decree and has returned to the Chamber of Deputies with the approval of an amendment signed by the rapporteurs, allowing it to independently manage any additional contracts required for the construction of the bridge. The project's cost update, starting from the 2012 project estimate of €8.5 billion, compared to the current approximately €13.5 billion, has been confirmed. This update takes into account the European requirement not to exceed the 50% ceiling on possible increases without re-tendering the mega-contract. The final text also includes specific measures for the management of municipal roads and speed enforcement: the decree establishes clearer rules on the use of speed cameras (which will result in a ban on detection systems not registered and mapped by the Ministry of Transport) and on the classification of roads under municipal jurisdiction, addressing a topic often at the center of local news. Numerous changes have been made related to the public procurement market. With the passage of the bill in the Chamber of Deputies, the 10% advance payment on the contract price for engineering services, requested by design firms, and a freeze on the application of the downward price revision requested by builders, have been included. The calculation of variations (including decreases) between the tender base prices, net of discounts, and the price lists, will have to be carried out by the contracting authorities only starting from 2025. This clarification allows to avoid possible redetermination operations of the amounts already paid for the years up to 2024. An issue that remained pending due to a tangle of rules in the compensation mechanisms for the cost of materials that excluded certain categories of contracts has also been resolved.

The decree did not overlook the public administration's internal technicians, with the approval of the 2% incentives extended to managers and also for tenders launched before December 31, 2024 (entry into force of the Corrective Procurement Act). Other significant issues that emerged during the discussions were the immediate application of the Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) in renovation contracts and the reorganization of the Interregional Public Works Supervision Offices, with a rationalization of the offices and functions of these peripheral technical units of the Ministry of Infrastructure. There are also exemptions for works intended for national defense, the appointment of new commissioners (starting with the completion of the A2 motorway and the Alessandria logistics hub), the strengthening of the State Highways company, measures for ports and funding for the coast guard, the identification of five priority projects to be designed by ANAS, better defined budget and time limits for emergency interventions (so-called "high urgency"), €15 million in funding for compensatory works on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria high-speed rail line, and the establishment of a technical committee for unfinished projects.

The parliamentary passage also confirmed that the restrictions on the use of certificates of work performed by subcontractors do not apply to contracts already in progress as of December 31, 2024. Many other measures from the original text remained in place, including fares for flights subject to public service obligations, adjustments for certain interventions under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and the dates of the bathing season. New measures introduced by the Chamber of Deputies include the postponement of the ban on the circulation of Euro 5 diesel-powered cars and commercial vehicles in the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna from October 1, 2025, to October 1, 2026, and the allocation of €35 million from 2027 to 2029 to strengthen storage infrastructure and improve regasification capacity, with the aim of making our energy supply potential more stable and secure.