Roughly 9,000 complaints have been filed by Greek citizens through the MyCoast app to date with the number expected to continue to rise, according to Greek authorities.
The application, which was launched in April and aims to give citizens the ability to report beach violations immediately, has been downloaded by 52,000 citizens on their smartphones.
By combining the new MyCoast app with on-the-ground inspections, the Greek authorities are ramping up their efforts to clamp down on illegal activities by beach bars placing sunbeds and umbrellas on beaches without the relevant permits.
Special units will be tasked with carrying out audits based on data received via the MyCoast app complaints. To avoid any conflict of interest, the special task forces will be staffed with public servants with no links to the local areas undergoing inspection, a method similar to the one used in tax audits.
For instance, employees from Attica will reinforce inspection teams on the Aegean islands and vice versa.
The aim is to prevent abuses and to correctly enforce the new rules that have been in place since January 1st.
Speaking to spoke to the Athens radio station Parapolitika 90. the spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, said the “central electronic auctions were conducted for beach concessions, the interest from entrepreneurs was so high that we opened additional beaches across Greece and managed to serve over 1,800, with continued interest.
Through the application, we enable citizens to participate in uncovering any illegal activities or violations on the beaches. Around 9,000 complaints have been gathered this year, with 1,000 of them examined in the past five days.
He added that “the amounts collected by the state from beach concessions are significantly higher compared to the past. There are some beaches where we managed to obtain ten times the fee we used to receive in previous years.”
