Italy's Beach Concession Tenders: What Changes for Beachgoers (and Blue Flag Beaches)

Italy's beach concessions are back in the spotlight at the end of the 2026 season, but the picture is less clear-cut than the headlines suggest. Decree-Law no. 32 of 11 March 2026 (Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 58, 11 March 2026) does not contain the model tender itself. Article 8 asks the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to draft one and submit it to the Unified Conference within 30 days of the decree coming into force. For anyone heading to the beach, the practical question is simple: will anything change under the umbrella? Here is what the sources we consulted say, with the uncertainties flagged wherever accounts disagree.

What Decree-Law 32/2026 actually says

Decree-Law no. 32 of 11 March 2026 has been in force since 12 March. Article 8 requires the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) to prepare a national model tender and submit it to the Unified Conference within 30 days of entry into force, meaning by 10 April 2026. According to legal analyses published after the text came out, including those by the Di Giacinto law firm and LavoriPubblici.it, the stated aim is to set uniform award conditions across the country and cut down on litigation. The same analyses point to an open question: the decree does not say whether the model tender will be binding on municipalities or merely a reference template.

The dates: what the sources say, and where they differ

The sources we consulted indicate that existing concessions stay valid until 30 September 2027, with a possible extension for objective reasons no later than 31 March 2028. The Di Giacinto firm also places the start of tender procedures by 30 June 2027. We found no confirmation of an expiry on 1 October 2026, and the accounts do not even agree with each other on other dates: one analysis cites a deadline of 31 January 2027, and one article a June 2026 deadline. For any practical decision, only the text published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale counts. On the model tender itself, the delay is documented. Il Fatto Quotidiano wrote on 26 May 2026 that tenders were coming but the model tender and compensation rules were still missing, and the MIT held a consultation round in July 2026 with the draft still awaiting the opinion of the Unified Conference. At the time of writing there is no final model tender, so no municipality can yet say it is applying one.

What changes for beachgoers

In the short term, most likely very little: concessions run until the dates above and beach clubs stay open. The change is a medium-term one, and it concerns what municipalities will be able to ask of whoever wins the concessions. According to the Di Giacinto analysis, the reference law (Law 118/2022, Article 4) says award criteria should reward service quality, accessibility for people with disabilities, off-season services, environmental sustainability and job continuity, with concession terms of between 5 and 20 years. On the most contested issue, compensation for outgoing concession holders, the matter is still in dispute: Il Fatto Quotidiano reports that it is being criticised at European level. As for the share of beach that must stay free, we found no precise provisions in the decree, and without data it is better not to promise any percentages.

Accessibility: Resolution no. 27 of 21 July 2026

With Resolution no. 27 of 21 July 2026, Italy's national Guarantor for the rights of persons with disabilities approved a policy document on access to beach concessions. It is general and non-binding: it introduces no new obligations, but sets out how existing rules can be turned into minimum requirements, bonus criteria and verifiable commitments in tenders. The guiding principle is that accessibility must be continuous, from the entrance of the beach club to the water's edge. A boardwalk is not enough if barriers remain in the facilities, in the information provided or in getting into the sea. The document has been sent to ANCI, the national association of Italian municipalities, so that it reaches coastal towns, and the Guarantor is asking for its contents to be included in the national model tender, which is still being drafted.

How this relates to the Blue Flag

The Blue Flag is an award given to municipalities, not to individual beach clubs. Its assessment areas include water quality, environmental management, environmental education, safety and services, accessibility among them. There is no formal link between the model tender and the Blue Flag criteria: they are separate systems. The point of contact is a practical one. If tenders reward environmental sustainability and accessibility, as the sources suggest they may, municipalities will have tools to steer concessions towards standards close to those the Blue Flag programme already assesses. That remains a hypothesis, however, and depends on the final text of the model tender, which is not yet available.