The majority of bathing water sites in Europe met the most stringent ‘excellent’ water quality standards in 2022, according to the latest annual Bathing Water report published today. The assessment, put together by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in cooperation with the European Commission, “highlights where swimmers can find the cleanest bathing sites in Europe this summer”. The quality of water at coastal sites, “which makes up two-thirds of total bathing spots, is generally better than that of inland river and lake sites”. In 2022, 88.9% of the EU’s coastal bathing sites were classified as being of excellent quality as compared to 79.3% of inland sites.
In 2022, 95% of bathing waters in Cyprus, Austria, Greece, and Croatia met the “excellent” quality standard. Furthermore, in Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, and Luxembourg, all assessed bathing waters met at least the minimum standard of sufficient quality in 2022. “Since the adoption of the Bathing Water Directive in 2006, the share of ‘excellent’ sites has grown, and has stabilised in recent years, between 85–89% for coastal and 77–81% for inland bathing waters. In 2022, it represented 85.7% of all bathing waters in the EU”.