THE battle of the sunbed it has just begun and its outcome is awaited with particular interest, since the Ministry of National Economy and Finance is proclaiming that legality will be implemented at all costs, and at the same time those who are illegal are looking for windows to avoid the application of the law.

The minister, Kostis Hatzidakisemphasizes with his statement to APE-MPE that those who believed that a law was passed that will not be implemented in the end should probably reconsider and notes that in this “battle” he has allies in the citizens and technology.

One of the most typical examples of the situation prevailing on the beaches and the coast is that of Rhodes. The owners wrote on their “oldest shoes” the decisions of the State and tried, fortunately unsuccessfully, to operate the long-time illegal business as if nothing had ever happened.

On Friday morning, the Authorities proceeded to seal the business for the beach bar area with the illegal sunbeds in Agia Marina of Rhodes.

Specifically, a group of employees of the Dodecanese Land Service, with the assistance of the AADE and the Police, blocked off the coast and the sunbeds that were in the sea, giving the private owner 48 hours to remove them.

It is worth noting that Kostis Hatzidakis, who after the successful project of connecting cash registers with POS, wants to link his term in the ministry with the return to normality for the beaches. He believes that this abscess must be broken and has instructed the relevant authorities to show zero tolerance.

Everyone knows that in recent years and especially after the jump in Greek tourism, many companies operated and operate as a state within a state, encroaching on large areas of the beaches, depriving citizens of free access to them at the same time.

As he emphasizes in his statement to APE – BEE o Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, “we said we would put order on the beaches and we are doing it. We have warned for many months that we will not allow anyone to be illegal. We now have a modern and strict law that sets clear rules for licensing and operating businesses as well as strict penalties and fines for those who break the law.”

And he emphatically notes that “we are not going to discount them at all. Those who therefore did not believe us or thought that we passed a law that in the end we would not implement, it is good to think again. We have the citizens themselves as allies, but also new technologies, such as the application of complaints MyCoast, the reception of satellite images and the flights of drones, where all together will contribute to form a much more improved image of the coast and beaches than in previous years.”

The use of drones allows effective monitoring of beaches and the rapid detection of potential violations. The information gathered from these audits can be used to take action and impose penalties in cases of violation of the new rules. In addition, conducting procedures for new concession contracts for the use of beaches and foreshore, in accordance with the new framework, provides the possibility to adequately regulate the use of the coastal protection zone and ensure the management of beaches with transparency and respect for the environment and citizens.

These initiatives are key to improving the tourist experience and protecting the country’s natural resources. The implementation of various control methods, in addition to the use of drones, is an important part of the new strategy to ensure legality and transparency in the use of beaches and foreshore.

Let’s look at these ways in more detail:

* Satellite images: The use of satellite images allows the monitoring of large areas and the detection of possible violations with great precision. This information can then be used for additional checks and assessments.

* Citizen Contribution: The MyCoast app enables citizens to contribute to the monitoring and detection of violations. Through this application, they can submit complaints about violations they observe on the beaches.

* Mixed levels of control: An integrated control mechanism is created by integrating several agencies. This ensures cooperation and coordination between different services and authorities to effectively supervise the use of beaches. Audit procedures include inspection and assessment of compliance with new regulations and conventions, thus offering a comprehensive control framework and providing the necessary transparency and legitimacy to beach and foreshore management.