This Wednesday, a hearing on an urgent freedom appeal took place at the administrative court of Nice, at the request of the FranceActive union and various gym and fitness center brands. The covered sports halls were contesting the prefectorial closure. Their request was rejected.
In their request filed with the administrative court, the gym owners invoked the freedom of trade and industry and the freedom to undertake, which are fundamental freedoms.
The administrative court considers that: “the economic impact of the disputed decision for the administratively closed businesses is limited, depending on their size and loss of revenue, by the extension of partial activity, the exemption from social charges, and the enhancement of the solidarity fund up to 10,000 euros per month. This circumstance seems likely to limit the severity of the infringement on the freedoms mentioned in point 5, despite the fact that the measure comes during a sensitive period of registrations and re-registrations.”
A few minutes after the decision, CDOS06 spoke up: “It is becoming urgent for the prefect of Alpes-Maritimes to sit down at the table, as he did with bar and restaurant owners, with the sports movement actors and gym managers to carefully consider all the difficulties encountered in our clubs and the proposals for aid to employees, providers, and associations.”
End of the standoff between the gym owners and the prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes?
