A new bill by the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, submitted to Parliament on Monday night, provides for the use of drones, satellite images and remote-sensing systems in inspections for the illegal occupation of seashores and beaches, News24/7 reports.
Under the new provisions, the competent authorities will be able to identify violations without always requiring an on-site inspection, provided that the violations are clearly captured in photographic or audiovisual material. The measures target, among other things, the illegal occupation of public space, the placement of sunbeds and umbrellas beyond the limits of a legal concession, and practices that restrict citizens’ free access to beaches.
In 2025, up to 17 August, 7,449 complaints were filed through MyCoast regarding sunbeds or umbrellas placed without lawful use of the seashore.
At the same time, the bill tightens the penalties. In cases of illegal occupation of a seashore or beach without a concession agreement, business owners will be excluded from all seashore and beach concession procedures for five years, while the fine may reach up to four times the fee that would have corresponded to the occupied area.
In other words, if a business placed sunbeds on 100 square metres of beach without having a concession, and the concession fee — essentially the “rent” paid to the state — for those 100 square metres would have been €2,000, the fine could be four times that amount, namely €8,000. In cases of repeated violations, heavier administrative sanctions are foreseen, such as suspension of operations.
Πηγή: Νews24/7
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