Greek Authorities Impose €800,000 in Fines for Beach Violations

Since early July, the Greek Ministry of Economy and Finance has investigated over 4,500 citizen complaints about beaches and coastal areas across Greece.

Many of the complaints, received through the MyCoast app and by phone, involved reports of beaches being “overtaken” by local businesses.

In collaboration with the Hellenic Police and municipal authorities, the ministry carried out on-site inspections of more than 150 beaches and over 750 businesses. The inspections aimed to ensure that public beaches remain fully accessible and that businesses are not illegally expanding beyond their designated areas.

According to the ministry, following the inspections, authorities issued fines of over 800,000 euros. Violations included businesses encroaching on public beach areas to set up umbrellas and deck chairs beyond their permitted limits, failing to display required signage, and occupying beach areas without a leasing agreement with the ministry.

Businesses that arbitrarily took over parts of beaches were located in various destinations, including Rhodes, Crete, Corfu, Volos, Messolongi, Parga, and Thessaloniki.

It is reminded that to safeguard public interests and citizens’ constitutional right to free access to public beaches, the Greek government has launched an e-platform named MyCoast.

The platform allows individuals to report violations directly to the authorities. The government has announced plans to continue conducting on-site checks throughout the summer, focusing particularly on areas with the highest number of citizen complaints.

The regions with the most reported issues so far include Halkidiki, Preveza, Eastern Attiki, the Cyclades Islands, Corfu, and the Dodecanese.