Rome, Sept. 18 (LaPresse) – "It is an honor for me to be here for the breakthrough ceremony of the exploratory tunnel of the Brenner base tunnel, an operation that will for the first time connect Italy and Austria with an underground tunnel – two nations that are already deeply united by their history, by their geography, and that are leading partners in Europe in numerous dossiers and international policy matters." Thus spoke Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the cross-border breakthrough ceremony between Italy and Austria for the Brenner base tunnel’s exploratory shaft. "I greet and thank all the representatives of companies and workers who, in various ways and at various levels, have been involved in this monumental project," added the Prime Minister. "Today, together, we are taking a decisive step towards the construction and realization of one of the largest infrastructure projects on the continent. It is a historic day—not only for Italy, of course, but also for Austria and the whole of Europe—because the Brenner base tunnel represents the central junction and one of the key elements of the European Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor, which aims to connect Finland to Malta, crossing eight European countries: seven EU member states and Norway." "This tunnel," Meloni continued, "when it enters operation, will of course revolutionize transport between Italy and Austria, drastically reducing travel times for passenger and freight trains, and this will naturally have the effect of easing congestion on a key European route such as the A22 Brenner motorway, strengthening the competitiveness of our production system, and producing highly beneficial environmental effects, especially for the wonderful yet equally delicate areas where we find ourselves."