(23 May 2017) – More than 85% of bathing water sites monitored across Europe in 2016 met the most stringent ‘excellent’ quality standards, according to the annual bathing water quality report published today.
The report from the European Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) confirms a positive 40-year trend of increasingly cleaner water at beaches and swimming spots across Europe.
The assessment compiled analyses of water sampled at more than 21 000 coastal and inland bathing sites and gives a good indication where the best sites with the highest water quality are likely to be found this summer.
As in recent years, the vast majority of Europe’s swimming spots can boast good quality water. In 2016, 96.3% of sites met the minimum ‘sufficient’ quality requirements set out in the EU’s Bathing Water Directive. More than 85% (85.5) of bathing water sites met the directive’s most stringent ‘excellent’ water quality standards.