The majority of Europe’s bathing areas met the European Union’s strictest “excellent” quality standards in 2022, according to the latest annual bathing water report published on Friday. The assessment, produced by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in cooperation with the Commission, points out where bathers can find the cleanest bathing areas in Europe this summer.
The majority of Europe’s bathing areas met the European Union’s strictest “excellent” quality standards in 2022, according to the latest annual bathing water report published on Friday. The assessment, produced by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in cooperation with the Commission, points out where bathers can find the cleanest bathing areas in Europe this summer.
Water quality in coastal areas, which account for two-thirds of bathing areas, is generally better than in inland areas of rivers and lakes. In 2022, 88.9% of coastal bathing areas in the EU were classified as excellent quality, compared to 79.3% of inland bathing areas.
In 2022, 95 % of the bathing waters in Cyprus, Austria, Greece and Croatia had “excellent” quality. In addition, in Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and Luxembourg, all bathing waters assessed met at least the minimum degree of sufficient quality in 2022.
In the case of Spain, 88.2% of its bathing areas are of excellent quality. In the case of coastal and inland areas, 92.8% and 55.9% have the excellent category respectively.
Since the adoption of the Bathing Water Directive in 2006, the percentage of “excellent” quality zones has increased and stabilized in recent years between 85 and 89% of coastal bathing waters and between 77 and 81% of inland bathing waters. In 2022, it represented 85.7% of all EU bathing waters. Minimum water quality standards were met in 95.9 % of all EU bathing waters.
European bathing water quality in 2022 – SPAIN
European bathing water quality in 2022 – SPAIN |
The percentage of bathing waters of insufficient quality has decreased over the last decade and has remained stable since 2015. In 2022, bathing waters of insufficient quality accounted for only 1.5% of all bathing waters in the EU. This shows that the health risk of swimming in bathing water is slowly decreasing in Europe.
Bathing water quality in coastal areas is generally better than in inland waters due to more frequent renewal and the higher self-purification capacity of open coastal waters. In addition, many inland bathing waters in Central Europe are located in relatively small lakes and ponds and in low-flow rivers. Compared to coastal areas, these inland waters are more susceptible to short-term pollution due to heavy summer rains or droughts, especially in summer.
More than 1,800 bathing water areas (8%) are located in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, mainly in Greece, France, Italy and Spain. These areas play an important role in the quality of life in cities and provide ecosystem benefits.
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