Mayor shuts down beachside cafes, seeks compromise
Authorities in the seaside resort of Schinias, northeast of Athens, announced on Wednesday that they have shut down the last of the illegal beachfront bars and cafes in the area.
Local Mayor Iordanis Louizos said that six snack bars and four cafe-bars had been closed since the start of the year, the last being shut on Monday.
It is several years since the establishments were declared illegal but the owners have managed to keep them open by filing consecutive appeals.
Louizos said he was prepared to sit down with the owners and discuss a solution to the problem.
Highlighting the legal gray areas that have complicated the situation, Vissaria Georgoula said her husband inherited one of the snack bars from his father, who had been granted a license by the local authority in 1965. She added that in 2007 her husband had been granted permission to set out sun loungers and umbrellas in return for an annual payment of 8,000 euros.
