The chaos of beach concessions continues to take center stage in the courts, awaiting the new government law that reforms the sector and gives certainty to operators. Yesterday the Constitutional Court expressed its opinion on the rule issued by Sicily for the extension of the concessions, declaring it “illegitimate”. In the meantime, the Antitrust has decided to appeal to the TAR against Misano and 20 other coastal municipalities, guilty of having applied the extension of beach concessions for one year (until December 2024), without already fixing the period in which the public tenders to assign beach activities. In Emilia Romagna, in addition to Misano, Ravenna and Cervia also ended up in the Antitrust’s sights. Many other well-known seaside resorts such as Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio, but also Gaeta, Pescara are in trouble; Vast. The judges of the regional administrative court have already scheduled the hearing for the Misano case: the Antitrust appeal will be discussed on July 11th.
Fabrizio Piccioni, mayor of Misano, does not hide his strong concern. “We don’t understand this move by the Antitrust against us – he explains – given that we issued the extension motivating it precisely with the upcoming tenders to award the concessions. Perhaps we were a bit generic in indicating the period in which we will make the tenders, writing by the end of the year. On the other hand, all the municipalities are in chaos, as there is still no national law on the matter.” The Misanese administration has relied on the lawyer Franco Fiorenza, a luminary in the field, to defend itself from the Antitrust appeal. “We will shortly send a document in which we will clarify our position to the Authority. If this is not enough and if the Antitrust then obtains the suspension of the extension from the TAR, we will immediately present the appeal to the Council of State. We cannot afford , in the middle of summer, of not knowing who manages our beaches”.
The municipal administrations of Rimini, Riccione, Cattolica and Bellaria were spared from the legal action brought by the Competition Authority. At Palazzo Garampi we are already working on the criteria for the tenders with which the seaside activities will be assigned, despite the rain of appeals presented by operators and trade associations. “Among the requirements that will be evaluated in the tenders – underlines Roberta Frisoni, councilor for state property in Rimini – there will be technical, professional and financial capabilities. But with the new concessions we also want to enhance small and medium-sized enterprises, the employment benefits, sustainability environmental and the suitability of the interventions proposed by the operators at the Sea Park”.
As regards the duration of the concessions, “the complex national regulatory framework makes us lean towards a maximum period of 20 years. But the duration of the new concessions – specifies Frisoni – will be commensurate with the investments proposed by the operators”. Therefore, in some cases “the concessions could last even less than 20 years. The duration will be established on the basis of investments in the activities”. While waiting for the government’s long-awaited concession reform law, Palazzo Garampi wants to be ready. The summer will serve to establish the criteria for the tenders. Then “in the months between October and November – they assure from the town hall – we will proceed with public tenders to assign the seaside activities”.
Manuel Spadazzi
