Beach clubs association: “Region extends concessions until 2033”

Last Updated: October 8, 2024

L'associazione Balneari: «La Regione proroghi le concessioni fino al 2033»

The Sicilian association of beach operators met yesterday at the Teatro Garibaldi in Piazza Armerina (Enna) to discuss the implementation of the Bolkestein Directive of 2006 on the island, insisting on the validity of regional law 24 of 2019 and the provisions of the decree of May 21, 2020, “in order to confirm the granting of concessions until December 31, 2033.”

For beach operators, the Council of State’s 2021 ruling indicated to the national government the inapplicability of the “automatic” or “tacit” extension of the concession title; but Sicilian concessionaires “did not obtain the automatic or tacit extension of their title but only after a request, through the portal and the regional administration reserved the right to validate the extension until December 31, 2033, ‘subject to further verifications.'”

Unlike the rest of Italy, Sicily issued a valid title until 2033 after a new instructive process and the payment of a fixed fee of 250 euros “in order to allow this office to proceed with the issuance; a new insurance bond to guarantee until 2033; the payment of 2% for the registration of the new concession decree.”

According to the beach operators, “the Region has already approved procedures to issue new concession areas” with the departmental decree of 2019, updated in 2021,” providing authorizations for six years “even if not recognized in the municipal Urban Development Plans of coastal municipalities and up to five meters from an existing beach facility (regional law 32 of 2020).”

The beach operators add that on the island the occupation of the maritime domain, for bathing purposes, “affects about 19% of the approximately 1,500 km of coastline, with different types of activities such as bars, restaurants, pizzerias, beach establishments (8%), equipped areas, and more. In 2016, the Region protected the assets in concession by extending all valid demanial titles until December 31, 2020, emphasizing that Article 12 of the 2006 European directive applies only ‘where the number of available authorizations for a specific activity is limited due to scarcity of natural resources or usable technical capacities.'”

“There are no doubts about the regularity and validity of our concession titles until 2033 as there are resources,” says the association’s president, Antonio Firullo.