ZAGREB, 24 August, 2022 - The Island Movement has said that the Ministry of Transport, Sea and Infrastructure is deluding the public by claiming that the association is misinterpreting the latest draft bill on the maritime domain and seaports, which, it says, evidently brings into question the public use of the maritime domain.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the association wondered how it was possible that work on amending the Maritime Domain and Seaports Act had been going on for the past 20 years, yet the draft bill released on 19 July allowed for allegedly different interpretations of restrictions on the public use of the maritime domain, with special emphasis on beaches.
The association claims that Minister Oleg Butković and State Secretary Josip Bilaver have not denied the current provisions of the bill, which explicitly state that the complete or partial restriction of the general use of the maritime domain will be allowed, with special emphasis on beaches.
Moreover, the ministry says that the problem will be solved by giving greater powers to local government units whose management has already proven to be inefficient and manipulative and has resulted in numerous cases of destruction and favouritism along the entire coast and on islands, the Island Movement says.
It objected to Article 11 of the bill, which, it says, provides for the possibility to completely or partially restrict the general use of the maritime domain, "when such restriction is allowed under a valid concession agreement, a contract on a specific use or a contract on the temporary use of the maritime domain and on giving a port open to public transport to a port authority for management."
The association also contests Article 46 of the bill, which envisages that maritime domain management plans would enable local and regional government units to "define types of seaside beaches, the purpose, and model of management of beaches and the degree of restriction of or a ban on the general use of an individual beach."
The bill also defines types of seaside beaches, which are classified into wild beaches and beaches with man-made infrastructure, which are further classified into public beaches and hotel, campsite and tourism resort beaches as well as special-purpose beaches, the Island Movement says, asking the ministry to clarify the articles in question and make sure the new law makes all beaches, regardless of their location, type or purpose, accessible to everyone under equal conditions.
