Taking a dip

The overall quality of bathing water in the EU has markedly improved since 1990. According to the latest annual bathing water report by the European Commission and European Environment Agency EEA, most of Europe's 21,400 bathing sites have clean water.

"High quality bathing water is essential for the well-being of European citizens and the environment," Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas told reporters on Thursday. "Europe's bathing sites remain clean and water quality is high."

During the 2008 bathing season, 96 percent of coastal bathing areas and 92 percent of bathing sites in rivers and lakes complied with minimum standards, Dimas said. Compliance with such mandatory values were 80 percent and 52 percent respectively in 1990.

Greece and Cyprus have the cleanest beaches in the EU, while some of the purest lakes and rivers can be found in Finland, Sweden and Germany, the report said. However, the commission also said that clean water did not necessarily mean that the beaches themselves were also clean.

Poland is the worst country in Europe to go swimming in, whether in the sea, rivers or lakes, with 14.4 percent of all bathing water non-compliant with mandatory standards.

The report found that many areas of the Baltic Sea are suffering from an overgrowth of algae, while a relatively high number of dirty waters are found around Denmark, Poland and Britain. Testing is still lagging behind in new EU member states Romania and Bulgaria.

Getting people involved

Each year, the EU tests its waters for possible bacteriological contamination deriving from industrial waste or agriculture. Water color, acidity, and the presence of residues from detergents are also tested.

But the report can do more than just inform Europeans and tourists about where they can safely take the plunge. It also serves as a guide to get more people involved in their local surroundings, said EEA's executive director Jacqueline McGlade.

"Information sources like this report and our Web-based viewing tools enable citizens not only to check the quality of the bathing water in their local community or holiday destination, but also to allow them to get more actively involved in the protection of their environment," McGlade said.

Italy closed most sites

More than one third of the EU's 14,500 beaches are found in Italy. The report showed that the Mediterranean country stood out with 553 coastal beaches and freshwater sites where bathing had been closed or banned throughout the 2008 season. This was far more than in other countries.

McGlade said it was "too early to say" whether there had been an improvement at those sites since last year as the data was not yet available.

Of the 14,551 coastal bathing areas in the European Union, bathing was banned or closed throughout the season in only 307 sites and was found not to be complying with EU standards in 208 sites. Among the 6,890 freshwater sites, bathing was banned at 315 sites and was not up to EU standards in 196.

sac/AFP/dpa
Editor: Chuck Penfold