Court memo: Law does not recognize ‘private’ beaches
The Supreme Court has sent a memo to Greece’s prosecutors sounding the alarm over the “plight” of the country’s shorelines and urging them to crack down, to the fullest extent of the law, on violations where the public character of beaches is being threatened.
“The law does not recognize ‘private’ beaches!” the Supreme Court memo stressed, adding that any attempt to block public access – which is protected by the Greek Constitution – is not only illegal but “immoral” and should be dealt with strictly, with demolition orders and arrests where this becomes necessary.
Signed by the Supreme Court deputy prosecutor responsible for oversight on matters pertaining to environmental protection and public land, Panagiotis Panagiotopoulos, the memo pointed in particular to violations by large hotels or beach bars claiming “ownership” of large swaths of the coast.
“With our prosecutorial determination, we must make it clear to everyone, even by resorting to sanctions and applying the full force of the law, that the main purpose of communal property is for the public to have free and unfettered access to it,” he said.
