Balneari against the 25% increase in rents: “The government opens a table”

The seaside resorts are asking the government for “a discussion table”. «May Meloni keep his electoral campaign promises», explains Maurizio Rustignoli, president of Fiba Confesercenti, according to whom the 25.15% increase in rents (the minimum at 3,377.50 euros), the result of the change in the Istat index, announced on Friday by the Ministry of Infrastructure. «It had to be a maximum of 11% – he adds -. By February, then, the implementing decrees on competition for tenders from 2024 must be approved, which are not possible for us: what will the government do? Meloni said that he would have worked for a different application of Bolkestein ».

The increase in fees “is a worrying news for our category, in a moment of uncertainty also linked to the application of the Bolkestein directive and the damage caused to many establishments by the storm surges of recent months – explains Rustignoli -. The minimum fee also applies to those who have to request a temporary extension, for example for a beach volleyball court: in this way there is the risk of impoverishing the tourist offer on the beach».

«As a category – adds the president of Fiba Confesercenti -, we are not against reviewing the amounts of the fees, which on average are 8-10 thousand euros a year and are low, we recognize it. But it must be done with an organic intervention and a method that provides for the correct evaluation of the beaches, classifying them on the basis of profitability and giving a correct value to the square meter: in this way the State would enhance its own good”. Rustignoli then recalls that «by February the implementing decrees of the competition law passed by the Draghi government should be approved, in order to then start the tenders, even if in our opinion there are no technical conditions to make the tenders in 2024. We need to understand the intentions of the current government – he continues -. During the election campaign, President Meloni said they would work for a different application of Bolkestein. There is still time to fulfill the promises but I fear that, for example, the mapping of the coasts has not yet started. It is essential to demonstrate that the resource of beaches already mapped for tourist-recreational settlements and not yet assigned is not scarce: if the resource is not scarce, then the application of the directive can be postponed. Meloni had promised that you would work on this ».