More than 1,500 inspections have been carried out so far at over 300 beaches and 450 businesses across Greece, as authorities intensify efforts to enforce the new legal framework protecting coastal areas and ensuring citizens’ free access to beaches.
The Property Services of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance are continuing inspections nationwide, focusing particularly on areas with a high number of complaints.
The new monitoring system now incorporates drones and advanced technological tools, strengthening on-site inspections and enabling authorities to identify violations more quickly. Through cooperation between the General Secretariat of Public Property and the University of the Aegean, remote inspections are also being conducted, significantly expanding the ability to monitor beaches across the country.
Technology is being used alongside traditional field inspections, allowing authorities to detect cases of unauthorized occupation of coastal areas or businesses exceeding their allocated space. This approach makes inspections more targeted and effective, including in areas where regular physical monitoring is more challenging.
A key tool in the process is the MyCoast application, through which the majority of complaints are submitted, alongside reports made directly by citizens to local Property Services.
This year has recorded the lowest number of complaints compared with previous years. Combined with findings from field inspections, the decline indicates a significant improvement in compliance among businesses operating on beaches.
The highest number of complaints nationwide has so far been recorded in Halkidiki, Eastern Attica, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese islands and Kavala. Targeted inspection operations are already underway in these areas.
Where violations are identified, authorities immediately impose the prescribed penalties. The most common infringements include unauthorized occupation of beaches without a concession agreement, exceeding permitted areas with additional umbrellas, sunbeds or other structures, obstructing public access, and failing to display the required signage.
Alongside strengthened inspections, the Property Services have also managed an exceptionally high volume of applications for the concession of simple use of beaches and coastal areas, taking over the process nationwide for the first time.
So far, more than 8,000 concession agreements have been signed for the summer season.
