by InTrieste
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni stepped in on the side of beach club owners by postponing a controversial reform that could have meant the end of many of Italy’s traditional seaside clubs.
Lidos, known as stabilimenti balneari, are a very common part of Italy’s beach holiday experience. While Friuli Venezia-Giulia’s capital can boast many free beaches, other parts of our region (Grado, Lignano) make use of the ubiquitous Italian tradition.
The law, which would have come into force from 31 December 2023, forces beach club owners to give up their rights to operate on Italian beaches. Instead, they must compete for new concessions with other interested companies from across the EU.
Meloni’s Milleproroghe decree, which was approved on Thursday in Italy’s lower house, has provided a one-year extension for existing concessions, giving the seaside entrepreneurs a precious few months of extra time.
It estimated that 98 per cent of beach-based businesses in Italy are family-run, according to data published by Federazione Italiana Imprese Balneari (FIBA), a group that represents the interest of beach resort owners.
The central criticism of privatized beaches is that lido managers charge high prices (and generate millions in annual revenues) while paying just a few thousand euro a year in fees to the government for the privilege. Resorts typically charge between €20-30 a day but this can rise to €150 in the more upmarket resorts
The Corriere della Sera newspaper reports that in 2022 the minimum canone, or rent paid by most lidos to the state, was €2,698, equivalent to renting out two parasols for three months at €15 a day.
As the lidos become increasingly unaffordable for the average Italian family, many consider their summer on the coastline unacceptable. The European Commission, Mario Draghi, and many of Italy’s opposition parties, argue that the beach club licensing reforms would free the market and ensure fair prices for all.
