Latest news Strike on Italy's beaches against EU directive

In the middle of the high season, numerous beach resorts in Italy opened late on Friday. Tenants on the Adriatic and Mediterranean protested with a two-hour strike against an EU directive, according to which the state concessions for the operation of the "stabilimenti balneari" must be regularly put out to tender. The operators fear unwelcome competition, including from abroad.

Keystone-SDA

09.08.2024, 14:21

SDA

Not everywhere along Italy's 7,500 kilometers of coastline the call to strike was heeded in equal measure. In Liguria around the north-western port city of Genoa, 90 percent of beach resorts took part in the "parasol protest", reported the Ansa news agency, citing the operators. Further south on the Tuscan beaches of Versilia, only one in four lidos took part, it said.

Around the Sicilian capital Palermo, all sunshades were already open in the morning, according to Ansa. Elsewhere on the largest Mediterranean island, the situation resembled a "patchwork quilt", it said.

Consumer protection association speaks of "flop"

On the beach at Fiumicino near Rome, the tenants informed bathers of their concerns with a flash mob using loudspeakers. The president of the Sindacato Italiano Balneari, Antonio Capacchione, spoke of "massive participation throughout Italy", while the consumer protection association Codacons described the strike as a "flop".

Shortly before "Ferragosto" (August 15), the peak of the summer season in Italy, tempers are running high on the beaches. The controversial EU directive should have been implemented back in 2006. The beaches belong to the state, but more than half of the beaches are leased to private individuals, often for decades and often 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.