ITALY: ‘Our beach concession system is no longer compatible with community rights and environmental protection’
Civil society groups in Italy are campaigning against the long-standing privatization of public beaches, arguing that the current concession system violates community rights and environmental standards. Despite EU directives requiring competitive bidding, reform has been repeatedly delayed, though a new 2027 deadline now mandates change.
Why it matters
This highlights the tension between private commercial interests and public access to natural resources, a growing issue in the context of climate change and coastal erosion.
CIVICUS discusses civil society’s campaign against beach privatisation in Italy with Danilo Ruggiero, Local President of Mare Libero, an organisation that advocates for free public access to Italy’s coastline.
Across much of Italy, private businesses control the best stretches of coastline, charging for access to beaches that are public by law. For years, European rules have required the country to open these concessions to competition, but reform has been repeatedly delayed under pressure from operators. Now a deadline is finally forcing change. As rising seas and coastal erosion threaten the shore, civil society is campaigning for a new model that puts environmental protection and public access ahead of private profit.
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