ROME — Italy accepted new guidelines late Wednesday to place profitable concessions for seaside golf equipment up for bidding by June 2027, responding to urgent calls for from the EU to open up the sector to new gamers.
Underneath the brand new laws by the right-wing authorities led by Giorgia Meloni, present seaside licenses would stay legitimate till September 2027.
The deadline might be additional postponed to March 2028 if there are “goal causes” to delay the tender course of, the federal government stated.
The compromise seeks to handle complaints by present operators who danger dropping their concessions and can be entitled to compensation paid by the brand new holders.
For nearly twenty years, the European Fee has been locked in a authorized battle with Italy over its seaside concession practices, accusing the nation of missing transparency and breaching competitors guidelines.
Earlier Italian governments, from left to proper, have staunchly resisted EU directives requiring aggressive tendering, persistently renewing the present seaside concessions with out open procedures.
For years, many of those seaside spots have been managed by the identical operators, usually leading to an absence of innovation and excessive costs.
Economists consider that opening the sector might usher in contemporary gamers, doubtlessly enhancing service high quality and decreasing prices for beachgoers.
At the moment, they’ll pay from 25 euros to lease two chaise lounges and an umbrella for the day in essentially the most fundamental institutions, to a number of hundred euros in fancy resorts akin to Capri or Puglia’s Salento.
