The Ministry of the Interior is looking for solutions to the serious issue with swimming pools, since until today it is not clear which are considered public and which are private, and for this purpose the much-discussed bill has been submitted to Parliament, which will clarify the picture and there is separation, in an attempt to put an end to illegality.
The Ministry of Interior had started the procedures to prepare and draw up the bill, here and for quite some time, since last October it had become known that the bill was undergoing legislative review and its aim is, through the text of the bill, to clarify which swimming pool, as is the scientific term for swimming pools, is considered public and which private .
What is emphasized by the Ministry of the Interior is that the text that was prepared was the result of consultations with the agencies involved, during which the multiple problems that existed, in terms of the category and the way of operation of the swimming pools, which in several cases resulted in human lives are endangered. The proposed legislation attempts a clear separation between public and private swimming pools and, by extension, clarifies the obligations for each type of swimming pool (operating license, number of safety supervisors, safety measures, etc.), so that user safety is ensured. In addition, a clear separation is made in relation to their functional part.
It is also noted that in the revised legislative framework promoted by the Ministry of the Interior, it is clarified that public swimming pools are considered to be all those intended for public use by the public or by a defined group of users, such as the swimming pools of clubs, institutions, gymnasiums, sports and medical centers, clinics, hotels and tourist accommodation, water parks.
With regard to private swimming pools, based on the provisions of the bill, those pools are considered to be exclusively for the owners of a residence and the family or visitors to the said residence, while in this category also fall the swimming pools that are under rent residential units for family use.
The Ministry of the Interior emphasizes that the reform of the legislative framework governing swimming pools and the definition of clear conditions for their operation are part of the Government's initiative to strengthen water safety. Through the implementation of a series of actions, with an emphasis on the prevention of accidents and drownings, the initiative aims to ensure the protection of citizens in the aquatic environment.
The gaps in existing legislation
According to the explanatory report prepared by the Ministry of the Interior and accompanying the bill submitted to the last Plenary Session of the Parliament, the legislative framework in force at the moment, there is a problem in the implementation of its provisions, since the separation between public and private is not clear swimming pools and this results in any swimming pool serving 2 or more residential units being considered public.
This has various consequences, in addition to the serious safety issues, since an operating license must be secured, a safety supervisor, sanitary facilities, etc. must be secured. “As a consequence of this regulation, for small and even large private developments with one or more communal/communal tanks, it becomes not possible or unprofitable to fulfill the aforementioned conditions to secure the necessary operating permit. The problem worsened further after the rapid residential development of recent years”.
The three types of swimming pool
Based on the bill that was submitted, there will now be a separation of public and private swimming pools into three types and depending on each type, the owner will have to secure the operating license and the number of safety supervisors and take the appropriate safety measures . At the same time, a clear separation is made regarding the functional part of the swimming tanks, while the construction part will be included in regulations issued based on the Road and Building Regulations Law.
As stated in the bill, a Type 1 swimming pool is considered a swimming pool where water-related activities are the main activity (e.g. leisure pools, sport pools, water parks) and the use of which is public.
Swimming Pool Type 2, is considered the swimming pool which is an additional service of the main business (e.g. hotel swimming pools, including the shared swimming pools of the rooms adjacent to the balconies of the rooms (sharing swim up pools), swimming pools of tourist accommodation, camping swimming pools, group pools, Therapeutic pools, hydrotherapy centers, hot tubs) and the use of which is public.
Swimming Tank Type 3 are considered all other pools, such as those belonging to self-service accommodations except:
-Type 1 swimming pools,
-Type 2 swimming pools,
-Type 2 swimming pools,
-Swimming tanks intended for private use and serving up to five residential units.
At the same time, in the bill there is a clear provision for the number of safety supervisors, who will must be present in the area, depending on the type of pool.
See Also Without license and lifeguard private swimming pools-The three categories to be separated
