“Of excellent quality” is 97.1% of bathing areas in Greece, compared with 83% in the EU, according to the 2020 Annual Report of the European Environment Agency (EEA) on bathing waters, carried out in cooperation with the European Commission.

In the report, published today, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia and Austria are cited as the five EU countries that meet more than 95% of the standards for “excellent quality” bathing water.

The assessment was based on the monitoring of 22,276 coastal areas and inland waters in EU Member States, Albania and Switzerland throughout 2020. In Greece, 1,634 bathing areas were assessed.

According to the legislation, bathing water quality can be classified as “excellent,” “satisfactory,” “adequate” or “inadequate,” depending on the levels of fecal bacteria detected.

Where waters are classified as of “inadequate quality,” EU Member States should take certain measures, such as prohibiting swimming or recommending its avoidance, informing the public and taking appropriate remedial action.

According to the Committee, the percentage of areas with high-quality water has stabilized in recent years at around 85%.

However, in 2020, 1.3% of bathing areas or 296 bathing areas in Europe was of “inadequate quality.” Although this percentage has decreased slightly since 2013, problems remain, in particular with regard to the assessment of pollution sources and the implementation of integrated water management measures, the Committee stresses.

Mr. Virginius Sinkevitsius, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, said: “The high quality of bathing waters in Europe has been the result of the implementation of the bathing water directive for over 40 years. The zero pollution action plan adopted in May will help keep our water healthy and safe and our seas and rivers clean.”

Two thirds of bathing areas are located along the coast of Europe. The results give a good indication of the places where bathers can find the best bathing water quality. The quality of several bathing waters could not be assessed in the present proceeding because the restrictions imposed by the pandemic resulted in the collection of an insufficient number of samples.

As part of the zero pollution action plan and according to the biodiversity strategy, the Committee recently launched the revision of the bathing waters directive. The aim is to assess whether the current rules continue to serve the purpose of protecting public health and improving water quality or whether there is a need to improve the existing framework, in particular by examining new parameters. As part of this process, the Committee will shortly consult interested parties through an online public consultation.

Source: ANA-Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Bloomberg