Greece reports successful crackdown on illegal beach occupiers

Athens: Authorities say they imposed fines of over 1.15 million euros this summer so far on businesses obstructing public free access to beaches.

Since the summer started, Greece’s Ministry of Economy and Finance has imposed fines of over 1,150,000 euros on businesses that unlawfully occupy beaches and coasts, violating the law on free public access to the sea, coast and beaches.

“The general picture from the mass checks of the last weeks has clearly improved on previous years, as the majority of businesses operating on beaches have complied with the new rules and legal framework,” the ministry said.

In July, the ministry said it carried out more than 10,000 inspections of reported complaints. These came mainly through MyCoast, a mobile app on which citizens can report obstructed access to beaches but also through phone calls.

Violations that emerged ranged from an absence of signs to excessive occupation of space by umbrella loungers and cases where the occupation of beach space was arbitrary and without a contract.

The seven regions of the country that attracted most complaints and which were checked as a priority were Halkidiki in northern Greece, Eastern Attica, Preveza in northwestern Greece, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, Corfu and Chania, Crete.

Last year, Greeks took to the streets to demand restoration of free public access to the country’s beaches as enshrined in the law. Large stretches of coastline had been taken by private businesses that either illegally restricted access to beaches or charged exorbitant sums for sunbeds.

A protest movement, the so-called ‘Towel Movement’, began on the island of Rhodes and spread to the north of the country.

The ministry in May set up a new procedure for granting concessions on coasts and beaches through electronic auctions. This year the number of contracts granted for the use of coastal and beach areas broke records – 1,800.

The ministry reported that 150 electronic auctions were unsuccessful because either there was no interest or the successful bidder withdrew shortly before signing the contract.