• Home
  • Topics
    • Industry and air
    • Waste and TFS
    • Water and land
    • Nature protection
    • Cross-cutting tools and approaches
  • Tools
    • Permitting
    • Inspections
    • Doing the right things
    • Better regulation
    • IMPEL Review Initiative
    • PREVENT
  • Projects
    • IMPEL projects
    • IMPEL-ESIX
    • LIFE SWEAP
    • WasteForce
    • SPIDER WEB
  • News
    • Latest news
    • Press releases
  • Publications
    • Outreach material
    • IMPEL Documents
    • General Assembly Meetings
    • Conference reports
    • EU Documents
  • Events
    • Internal meetings
      • General assembly
      • Board meetings
      • Expert team meetings
    • Project meetings
    • Conferences
  • About IMPEL
    • Strategy
    • Organisation
      • Board
      • Secretariat
    • Members and observers
    • Becoming a member
    • Contact
  • 
  • 
  • 

IMPEL

European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law

You are here: Home / Latest news / EU environmental legislation pays off: high quality of Europe’s bathing water

EU environmental legislation pays off: high quality of Europe’s bathing water

June 11, 2020

According to the 2019 European bathing water quality assessment, the quality of Europe’s bathing water remains high. Just under 85 % of swimming sites across Europe monitored in 2019 met the European Union’s highest and most stringent ‘excellent’ quality standards. The results published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission give a good indication where swimmers can find the best quality bathing waters.

Europe’s bathing water quality has vastly improved over the last 40 years, when the EU’s Bathing Water Directive was introduced. Effective monitoring and management introduced under the directive, combined with other EU environmental legislation such as the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (1991), led to a drastic reduction in untreated or partially treated municipal and industrial waste water ending up in bathing water. As a result, more and more sites are not only meeting the minimum quality standards but have also improved their quality to the highest standards. Alongside this year’s report, the EEA has also released an updated interactive map showing the performance of each bathing site. Updated country reports are also available, as well as more information on the implementation of the directive in countries.

Background

All EU Member States, plus Albania and Switzerland, monitor their bathing sites according to the provisions of the EU’s Bathing Water Directive. The assessment of the bathing water quality under the Bathing Water Directive makes use of the values of two microbiological parameters: Intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli.

The legislation specifies if the bathing water quality can be classified as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’, depending on the levels of faecal bacteria detected. Where water is classified as ‘poor’, EU Member States should take certain measures, such as banning bathing or advising against it, providing information to the public, and taking suitable corrective actions.

The contamination of water by faecal bacteria continues to pose a risk to human health, especially if it is found at bathing water sites. Swimming at contaminated beaches or lakes can result in illness. The major sources of pollution are sewage and water draining from farms and farmland. Such pollution increases during heavy rains and floods due to sewage overflow and polluted drainage water being washed into rivers and seas.

Source: EEA (European Environment Agency)

« EEA: EU greenhouse gas emissions kept decreasing in 2018, largest reductions in energy sector
Waste Crime Alert: the impact of COVID-19 on waste crime »

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join the IMPEL.eu newsletter list and stay up to date on all IMPEL.eu news.

Subscribe

News tags

Air pollution Biodiversity Circular economy Compliance Assurance Conference COVID-19 DTRT E-waste ECA ECHA EEA EIR ENPE Environmental Compliance Environmental crime European Commission General Assembly IED IED Implementation Implementation Challenge Industry and Air INECE IRI landfill Natura 2000 Nature Nature Protection NPRI Plastic waste REACH River development planning SPIDER WEB SWEAP Themis Waste Waste and TFS WasteForce Waste management Waste Shipment Regulation Water Water and Land Water Framework Directive WEEE Wildlife crime WSR

Menu

  • Home
  • Topics
    • Industry and air
    • Waste and TFS
    • Water and land
    • Nature protection
    • Cross-cutting tools and approaches
  • Tools
    • Permitting
    • Inspections
    • Doing the right things
    • Better regulation
    • IMPEL Review Initiative
    • PREVENT
  • Projects
    • IMPEL projects
    • IMPEL-ESIX
    • LIFE SWEAP
    • WasteForce
    • SPIDER WEB
  • News
    • Latest news
    • Press releases
  • Publications
    • Outreach material
    • IMPEL Documents
    • General Assembly Meetings
    • Conference reports
    • EU Documents
  • Events
    • Internal meetings
      • General assembly
      • Board meetings
      • Expert team meetings
    • Project meetings
    • Conferences
  • About IMPEL
    • Strategy
    • Organisation
      • Board
      • Secretariat
    • Members and observers
    • Becoming a member
    • Contact
  • 
  • 
  • 

IMPEL

Chemin des deux maisons 73, box 3
1200, Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +44 (0)20 3289 7442
Email: info@impel.eu
Skype: impelsecretariat


Become a member

Membership of IMPEL is open to organisations or authorities working in the public sector who implement and enforce environmental legislation. Learn all about the benefits​ of being a member to our network.
Read More

Copyright © 2021 IMPEL · Data protection · Cookie policy · Webdesign: Alva Design