The rights of bathers: where umbrellas and sun loungers are allowed, and where not

The Towel Movement has achieved its first victory for free beaches as Santa Maria de Paros, where the protests began, is now half free for bathers and the sun loungers have been removed.

Lawyer Vasilis Papageorgiou explained in the program “Premier Show” the legislative framework in terms of installing umbrellas and sun loungers on the beaches, and also emphasized the rights of a citizen who came to the beach to relax. As the expert notes:

• The installation of umbrellas, deck chairs and marine recreational equipment can take up to 60% of the allocated space.
• Free (direct) public access to the sea should be provided.
• There must be a free zone of the coastline with a width of at least five meters.
• The sunbed coverage cannot exceed 30% of the allocated space.

At the same time, there is a mandatory marking in the legislation, which states that the concessionaire (the tenant of the beach) is obliged to install in a conspicuous place a sign of a specific size with a plan and a photograph of the concession site, so that any violation (expansion beyond) can be easily noticed.

Mr. Papageorgiou emphasized that Legislation on this issue exists, but unfortunately it does not seem to be enforced.

https://rua.gr/news/obschestvo/56854-net-okkupatsii-plyazhej.html

As Athens News wrote earlier, the number of complaints from citizens about the unauthorized occupation of beaches by “business enterprises” is increasing day by day. The first battle for the beach and the expulsion of paid sun loungers installed by businesses began with Mykonos. This highlighted the magnitude of the illegality of the phenomenon that has spread across the islands.

The activist movement (“Кίνημα της πετσέτας”) condemns the dishonest behavior of beach bar owners who install sunbeds for their customers. This deprives ordinary citizens of a place on the beach where they could sit for free, so to speak, just “throw in the towel.”

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