Excellent European bathing areas
Overall, the Copenhagen-based EU Environment Agency EEA classified around 85 percent of European bathing areas as excellent. The EU minimum standards for water quality were complied with at almost 95 percent of the locations. In the previous year it was only around 83 or 93 percent.
For the evaluation, the authority looked at the contamination of the water with faecal bacteria, namely intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli. These can lead to diseases in humans. As a result, the water quality depends on the detected amount of these bacteria, which mainly come from sewage and agriculture. The EEA recommends bathing bans, warnings or other measures for the bathing areas classified as poor.
This year’s results are proof that over 40 years of EU action to improve bathing water quality across Europe has benefited both our health and the environment, said EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx. “The EU Zero Pollution Action Plan and the revision of the EU Bathing Water Directive will further solidify our commitment to preventing and reducing pollution in the coming decades.”
According to the data, the proportion of poor quality bathing water has decreased since 2013. In 2021, poor bathing water accounted for only 1.5 percent of all bathing water in the EU – in 2013 it was two percent. The report emphasized that an assessment of the sources of pollution and the corresponding implementation of integrated water management measures can also help to improve water quality.