The puzzle of state concessions in Italy is increasingly concerning FAITA-FederCamping. The business association for open-air tourism, which brings together Italian campsites and tourist villages, raises an alarm through its president, Alberto Granzotto: “On state concessions, we need certainty: with the upcoming season, it is necessary to ensure reliable and quality services to over 10 million guests, both Italian and foreign, in our coastal facilities.”
To understand the reasons for this concern, we must take a step back: Italy has been under European infringement proceedings for years for violating the so-called “Bolkestein Directive” (No. 2006/123/EC), whose Article 12 imposes the obligation to conduct a public tender for the assignment of beach concessions, prohibiting automatic renewal. To date, Italy has not yet complied. The only step the Italian government has taken is to further extend the deadline for concessions by one year, shifting it from the previous deadline of December 31, 2023, to December 31, 2024, and then to carry out the tenders by 2025.
However, this provision, included in the 2023 “milleproroghe” (many deferrals) decree, has not resolved the conflict with the EU, being essentially another automatic prorogations of concessions, precisely what the Bolkestein Directive prohibits. The issue remains unresolved, and current concessionaires lack certainty about the future of their businesses.
Given the legislative inaction, local administrations have started to decide autonomously: some are quickly working on the renewal procedures for expired concessions, while others have decided to extend their validity to “save” the 2024 season (as is the case in the Sardinia region). But if everyone writes their own rules – without a national regulatory framework – there is a clear risk of creating profound disparities across the national territory. A chaotic situation that does not benefit tourism.
Don’t forget the campsites
Inevitably, the open-air sector is affected by this climate of uncertainty, which can penalize it precisely during the phase of strong growth it has been experiencing in recent years. “We are awaiting a national regulation,” says Granzotto, “that considers not only the ‘seaside’ but also the ‘rear’ demesne areas on which campsites and tourist villages are located. We ask the government for a quick and concrete intervention“.
In particular, FAITA identifies some key points on which it demands the government’s utmost attention: the consideration of different types of activities on the natural and residual demesne; the management and evaluation of possible allocation principles for concessions through public evidence; the identification of compensation related to the loss of business and the value of assets; the consistent application of some regulatory principles already adopted by other European countries.
Open-air businesses have the right to plan their investments for the coming years in advance and with certainty: uncertainty in the application, especially at the local level by mayors, of rules and directives on concession renewals risks compromising part of the receptive tourism system with significant repercussions on the economy and employment.
