MyCoast App Reclaims Beaches from Private Encroachment

Greece’s authorities have introduced a digital application called “MyCoast” to empower beachgoers to report violations of beach access regulations, specifically the unauthorized placement of umbrellas and sunbeds on the coastline.

Launched by the Ministry of Digital Governance on April 22, it enables users to lodge complaints against establishments that exceed their allotted space for umbrella seating or engage in unauthorized occupation without the required concession agreement. Leveraging geolocation features, users can pinpoint the exact location of a suspected violation. The app then provides comprehensive information, including the designated location, lease duration, and the permitted coverage area outlined in the licensing agreement.

Users can submit reports anonymously under their name using their Taxisnet credentials. This free app empowers citizens to report unencumbered coastal encroachment or concession violations, ensuring open access to Greece’s pristine beaches.

The app will soon be available for download on the App Store and Google Play. Municipalities, the Police, and State Properties Services are responsible for conducting inspections, with fines ranging from €2,000 to €60,000 and potentially suspending concessions for regulation violations.

Last summer’s “Beach Towel – Free Beaches” movement on several islands led to 4,500 inspections, with 1,750 violations found. The ministers emphasized their goal to “create a social alliance between authorities and society in favor of environmental protection.”

To use “MyCoast,” citizens can locate the area of interest by searching the map or scanning the concession’s QR code, which must be displayed on a sign at the beach. Once the area is identified, the concession’s details (location, start-end dates, use, area) are displayed on the mobile screen.

If citizens detect arbitrary land occupation or obstruction of free access, they can submit a complaint through the app, specifying the concession or the specific point on the map if no active concession exists. The user can provide a brief description of the problem and choose whether to submit the complaint anonymously or by name, with the latter requiring Taxisnet credentials.

Users can submit only one complaint per type, per day, per device, and per concession and must fill in the complaint from a device located near the concession. If submitting through the app is impossible, citizens can report by any suitable means before any public authority, which must forward it to the competent state properties service on the same day.