Gov't presents 'MyCoast' app for citizens to report business space violations at beaches

Ministers of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou, National Economy & Economics Kostis Hatzidakis, along with the Secretaries General of Information Systems & Digital Governance Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos and of Public Assets Nagia Kollia, presented the app.

The app is free on cellphones and tablets through the App Store, and will soon be available through the Play Store.

By activating the program, and their cellphone's GPS, citizens can find a specific beach on the appearing map, which will also show the extent of the area a beach bar, canteen, or such may use legally. If the users determine that the business has expanded beyond the shown limits or the beachgoers' passage to the sea is obstructed, they can file a complaint including a brief description of it.

A complaint can only be submitted by a mobile phone near the area of concern, while only one such violation may be reported by the same cellphone for the specific area.

Complaints can be submitted by name or anonymously. In the former case, users need to log in to the app with the TaxisNet codes to complete the process. In addition, if they filed by name, citizens will be able to see the history of their complaints and the stage of follow-up by authorities. The complaints will show up on the relevant National Economy & Finance Ministry registry on licenses to businesses on beaches, and be reviewed by the relevant Cadaster Service branch.

Papastergiou said that MyCoast will contribute "to safeguarding the right of all citizens to free access to beaches, boosting the wider efforts of the National Economy & Finance Ministry to put some order on beaches."

MyCoast "will serve as a tool to allow citizens to become allies of the state in our effort to put some order in the process of operation of businesses at seashores and beaches. Everyone will be able to identify any violations and report them on the application, boosting in this way the manner of protecting legality to beach concessions," Hatzidakis.

Among other regulations, Hatzidakis added, anyone who sets up sun umbrellas and sun loungers at a coastal area is obligated to hire a lifeguard and to leave 50% of the beach to the use of citizens, who can set out their own belongings.

It should be noted that last year (2023), under protests by the so-called Beach-towel Movement, some 4,500 inspections were carried out and 1,750 violations noted.