Connect with us

Maritime

Take a splash: European bathing waters remain clean

SHARE:

Published

2 hours ago

on

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Summer is upon us, and it’s time to reach for your swimsuit. In Europe, there are numerous beaches and lakes to choose from. And the good news is that according to the latest EU bathing water report, most of them meet ‘excellent’ standards.  

Some 85% of the 22,200 European bathing sites monitored meet the stringent ‘excellent’ standard, while 96% of all EU sites monitored meet the minimum quality standard. Only 1.5% are rated as ‘poor'.  

Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece have the highest share for excellent quality bathing waters. Rivers and lakes rate slightly lower - 78% - than coastal waters - 88% - for ‘excellent’ bathing water. 

This high quality of European bathing waters is largely due to the sustained impact of EU laws on water quality. This includes: 

  • improved monitoring and management practices 
  • investment in urban wastewater treatment plants 
  • better wastewater collection 
  • improved assessment of certain algae that are harmful for human health and nature 

Thanks to these continued efforts, people can now swim in many formerly heavily polluted urban waters and rivers.  

If you’d like to check out where’s best to swim this summer, the European Environment Agency has put together an interactive map indicating the safest swimming sites in Europe. 

Just dive in! 

Advertisement

For more information 

EU bathing water report 

Interactive map of Europe’s safest swimming sites 

Press release: Europe's bathing waters remain safe to swim 

Protecting the ocean together

Share this article:

Share this:
Related Topics:
EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter. Please see EU Reporter’s full Terms and Conditions of publication for more information EU Reporter embraces artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance journalistic quality, efficiency, and accessibility, while maintaining strict human editorial oversight, ethical standards, and transparency in all AI-assisted content. Please see EU Reporter’s full A.I. Policy for more information.
Advertisement

Trending