Most ‘Excellent’ Bathing Waters With Quality Standards

According to the annual Bathing Water report, 85.4% of bathing water sites in Europe met the EU’s most stringent ‘excellent’ bathing quality standards in 2023.

The report centers around safety for bathing, through checking of microorganisms which can cause serious diseases to people, as opposed to general water quality.

While a larger part met the highest bathing quality guidelines, almost all – 96% – officially identified bathing waters in the EU met at least the minimum quality standards. Just 1.5% rated as ‘poor’ – 321 out of the 22,081 bathing sites – meaning they were found to pose health risks for swimmers.

While the vast majority of Europe’s bathing waters are in magnificent condition according to a bacteriological viewpoint, contamination of surface and groundwaters remains huge and might be exacerbated by the evolving environment. Further improving water resilience for individuals and for the climate in the coming years will be vital.

Playa Naturista Chihuahua Is One Of The Visited Nude Beaches In The World

The Bathing Water Directive, which has helped improve the quality of water since its introduction in 2006, is one of several pieces of EU law that protect water.

EU water legislation aims to ensure that all Europeans have access to good quality and sufficient water, and to guarantee the good status of all water bodies across Europe. The centre piece is the Water Framework Directive which, since 2000, represents the main law for water protection in the EU.