After dispute with EU over gold mines Italy's lidos are put out to tender
Sun, sand and sea - Italy's beaches are a goldmine for lido operators. But now the rough winds of competition are set to blow.
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- After a long dispute between Rome and Brussels, the state concessions for Italian lidos will have to be put out to tender again - but not for another three years.
- There have recently been fierce protests against the planned reform on the Adriatic and Mediterranean, including a strike by tenants at the beginning of August.
- The Italian beaches belong to the state, but more than half of them are leased to private individuals, often for decades and at ridiculously low prices.
After a long dispute between Rome and Brussels, the state concessions for Italian lidos will have to be put out to tender again - but not for another three years. The Italian Council of Ministers passed a decree to this effect on Wednesday evening. There had recently been fierce protests against the planned reform on the Adriatic and Mediterranean, including a strike by tenants at the beginning of August.
Under the new regulation, the current concessions will remain valid until September 30, 2027. The new tenders must be launched in June of the same year. In individual cases, a postponement until March 31, 2028 is possible. The new concessions have a duration of at least 5 and at most 20 years to allow the new concessionaires to amortize their investments. The new operators must make compensation payments to their predecessors for inventory taken over.
The background to this is an EU directive that Italy should have implemented back in 2006. Italian beaches belong to the state, but more than half of them are leased to private individuals, often for decades and at ridiculously low prices. One point of criticism is that the concessions are awarded far too cheaply at an average of 8,200 euros per year, allowing the industry to rake in huge profits. On the other hand, the operators fear that in future foreign companies will be calling the shots on the beach instead of Italian families.
Criticism of the regulation
"The cooperation between Rome and Brussels has made it possible to strike a balance between the need to open up the concessions market and the opportunity to respect the legitimate expectations of current tenants," reads a statement from Palazzo Chigi, the residence of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The text of the decree had already become known in Rome on Wednesday afternoon and had immediately triggered criticism. The opposition Five Star Movement described the period of three years as far too long and spoke of a "farce of the Meloni government" and a mockery of Brussels.
