IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME ITALIAN HIGHWAY NETWORK II

Phase II of the modernisation of Italy's motorway infrastructure with upgrades to the 2,855 km network operated by ASPI. The project includes: i) regulatory static improvements to viaducts/bridges and tunnels with the aim to improve the resilience of the overall network to the negative effects of extreme climate events and ii) road safety improvement works and iii) measures to reduce noise and water pollution.

The project aims at modernising ASPI's motorways and ancillary infrastructure, mostly on the TEN-T. The main objectives are to safeguard and upgrade the assets by extending their useful life, to enhance its resilience, and to improve road safety.

The project involves multiple components generally expected to be performed within existing rights of way; therefore, potential negative environmental impacts are likely to be minor and temporary during the construction phase. These include mainly impacts associated to potential contamination of surface and groundwater resources, air emissions, generation of noise and vibrations as well as impact on flora and fauna during construction works and during the operation phase. The schemes are likely fall under Annex II of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 2011/92/EU as amended by the Directive 2014/52/EU and therefore be subject to screening. Given the nature of the proposed works, it might be unlikely that any of the individual investments will require an EIA. This will be further verified during the implementation of the project. For each scheme, the EIB shall request the promoter to inform whether an EIA is required under the applicable national legislation and provide a clear explanation of how this determination has been made, supported by documentation from the competent authority where available. In addition, for each scheme, the EIB will request the promoter to inform whether these are likely to affect Natura 2000 sites and, if so, to provide the competent authority's authorisation in alignment with the requirements of Article 6(3) or Article 6(4) of the Habitats Directive. The project is expected to contribute to climate action and environmental sustainability objectives, in particular to climate adaptation, pollution prevention and control.

ASPI is a privately owned company, belonging to the category of concessionaires which are not contracting authorities. Consequently, the promoter has therefore been assessed by the EIB as being a private company not being subject to EU rules on public procurement or concessions. Nevertheless, certain components of the project may fall under national public procurement requirements. This does not represent an issue, as ASPI generally operates in compliance with Article 186 of the Public Procurement Code, which stipulates that motorway concessionaires must award between 50% and 60% of contracts instrumental to the operation of the concession through public tender procedures, while retaining full discretion for the remaining share. A portion of the investments included in the project has been, or will be, directly awarded to the promoter's subsidiary companies. However, given the above, this practice is fully consistent with Article 186 of the Public Procurement Code.