According to Brussels, the Italian concession system is inconsistent with the Services Directive…and has already warned Italy about this in the past, even opening an infringement procedure.
The Court of Justice of the European Communities has ruled that concessions authorizing the exploitation of the coast cannot be automatically renewed … but must be the subject of an impartial selection procedure. Licenses to rent sun loungers and umbrellas are traditionally owned by the family operator, and passed down from generation to generation. The sector is still hoping for a solution.
Marco Morelli, president of the Coastal Union, believes that the change of the system will cause many problems in the coastal tourism sector in Italy. Difficulties in regulating the tourism system.In this regard, I call on Parliament and the government to search for regulatory solutions and organic reform of the sector.
According to Brussels, the Italian concession system is inconsistent with the Services Directive… and Italy has already warned about this in the past, even opening an infringement procedure.
But the issue is highly controversial in Italy and several governments have failed to change the system. The European Commission hopes the ruling may help improve the situation.
European Commission spokesperson Sonia Gospodinovan said in a statement: “The Prime Minister has ensured that the Italian authorities will act very quickly to ensure that European legislation is implemented. This means that the national authorities will, therefore, proceed with the alignment of Italian legislation with European rules.”
The government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently delayed ending the concession system by a year, extending it until 2024.
