Genuine progress has been made over several decades in the management of bathing waters. As summer approaches, the latest report from the European Environment Agency brings reassuring news for holidaymakers. The continent’s beaches, lakes and rivers broadly display excellent bathing water quality. According to the study relayed by the Euronews site on Wednesday, June 17, 96% of monitored sites meet the European Union’s minimum standards, and only 1.5% of them are judged to be of mediocre quality.
Coastal waters remain the clear frontrunners in this ranking, with nearly 88% of seaside sites achieving the maximum score, compared with 78% for inland waters. This difference is largely explained by the “fragility of rivers and small lakes,” which are more vulnerable to pollution episodes linked to heavy rainfall or periods of drought. Experts remind that the analyses rely on the presence of bacteria such as E. coli and intestinal enterococci, which are indicators used to detect potential contamination of fecal origin.
France, not such a good pupil?
At the top of the European ranking, Cyprus stands out with a remarkable performance, with 100% of its waters classified as “excellent.” Behind the Mediterranean island come Greece with a score of 97.1%, Bulgaria with 96.9%, and Austria with 96.5%. For those who swim in lakes or rivers, Austria and Finland stand out in particular, with about 95% of their inland waters also considered as “excellent.”
Other countries, by contrast, face difficulties… In France, the Netherlands and Estonia, more than 3% of the sites inspected are categorized as “mediocre.” Albania, for its part, shows the lowest share of excellent waters in the whole continent, at only 16.8%.
Europe has “one main challenge” to tackle
Regarding inland waters alone, Spain records the most worrying results in the ranking. More than 11% of its rivers and lakes are deemed to be of poor quality, and just over half reach the excellent level. The report also notes that rivers remain the “main environmental challenge in Europe.”
Only 47% of the roughly 1,200 river swimming sites surveyed receive the designation “excellent.” Heavy rains, sewer overflows, agricultural runoff, and discharges from livestock farming continue to weigh heavily on their quality. Despite these drawbacks, the European Environment Agency notes a gradual improvement in many urban waterways, thanks to pollution-control policies pursued in recent years.
