The Greek Government has launched a mobile phone application called MyCoast, in which citizens can control where beach bars can operate and report any irregularities if they occupy more land than they should.
Last year, a citizen campaign called “beach towel rebellion” demanded more free space on Greece’s beaches and easier access to them. The movement was directed against beach bars and other businesses that offered sun loungers and umbrellas at high prices, leaving little, or no space, for people to lie on the beach without having to pay.
This year, the Greek Government wants to put an end to these practices. Thus, it has launched an application for mobile phones called MyCoast, in which citizens can control where the beach bars and restaurants can carry out their activity. report any irregularity if they occupy more land than they should.
“As far as I remember, it is the first time that citizens can see where are the beaches organized, that is, those legally rented by the Greek State. We have prepared the application guaranteeing total transparency. Any citizen can download the application on their mobile phone, smartphone, or other device, and can see marked with a small circle the entire map of our country and all the beaches where there is a legal lease,” declares Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos , Secretary General of Information Systems and Digital Governance of Greece.
A huge number of complaints about the practices of beach bars on the beaches of Greece
Thousands of Greeks have downloaded the application on their mobile phones and have reported numerous irregularities on the beaches.
“For the Greek authorities, ensuring free access to beaches is a constant and major challenge. There are already more than 10,000 complaints about irregularities. Inspecting whether businesses comply with the law is more difficult during weekends and midday rush hours. , when thousands of people flock to the beaches seeking out cool off from high temperatures“, explains Symela Touchtidou, journalist at Euronews.
“All these sun loungers are a big problem, there is no space for us to put our own chairs to sit on, and if there is space, it is too small. Some businesses They have limited the space they occupybut the majority limit themselves to complying with the law when there are inspections,” says a Greek citizen who frequently goes to the beach.
“Given the low income, I think beaches should be free for everyone,” suggests a Greek citizen.
The application It is also available for tourists, when they arrive in Greece. For now, It is only available in Greekbut an English version will also be released in the future.
