As Deputy Mayor Manuel Massimiliano La Placa explained in a press release, these include 17 concessions for bathing establishments, bars and restaurants and around 31 hectares of beach.
The concessions, which have a maximum duration of 15 years, will be awarded based on the most economically advantageous offer. The municipality thus wants to create more transparency in the system of concessions for beach resorts, which has been the subject of heated debate in Italy for years.
Government is in a dilemma
The government in Rome is in a dilemma. The European Commission is putting pressure on the government to regulate the beach concession system. If Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet does not take action, the EU Commission will file a complaint against Italy before the European Court of Justice, according to a statement from Brussels. At the same time, the government is facing fierce protests from beach operators. The background to this is the long-simmering conflict over the awarding of state concessions for the beaches. Coasts and beaches in Italy are generally state-owned, and local authorities such as municipalities currently award beach concessions to various operators.
The problem: The concessions have so far been awarded without the proper tendering process required in the EU. Often the lidos have been in the hands of the same operators for years or even decades – sometimes for very low fees that are paid to the municipalities. The difficulty of the Italian governments in finally settling this matter has already brought Rome two criminal proceedings in Brussels.
