The government and the parties
supporting it on Thursday reached an agreement on liberalization
of Italy's beach establishments, an issue that had been causing
considerable tension within the ruling coalition.
The liberalization is part of reforms Italy has pledged to
deliver in exchange for almost 200 billion euros of grants and
low-interest loans from the European Union for its post-COVID
National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
The EU says the contracts to run lucrative beach bars and
restaurants that rent out sun loungers and offer other
facilities should be put out for tender rather than
automatically rolled over to the existing holder.
Establishments like these occupy most of the best parts of
Italy's shoreline. The Commission has said this system has
hampered competition and meant the State has gained little in
terms of revenue from a precious public resource that has been
put into private hands.
The government has said tenders will be used to allocate the
concessions by the end of 2023, but Silvio Berlusconi's
centre-right Forza Italia and the right-wing League had been
calling for this to be postponed.
After tough negotiations, the government has agreed that the
tenders for concessions in which there is a legal dispute or
there are other problems drafting the tender can be delayed
until the end of 2024 at the latest.
Under the compromise, the issue of compensation for the people
who lose their concessions will be addressed in a separate
enabling act.
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