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Inland bathing water quality in the European Union, 1990-2011: The figure shows the bathing water quality in different European countries over time: 1990, 7 EU Member States; 1991 to 1994, 12 EU Member States; 1995-96, 14 EU Member States; 1997 to 2003, 15 EU Member States; 2004, 21 EU Member States; 2005-06, 25 EU Member States; 2007 to 2011, 27 EU Member States. No inland bathing waters are reported from three Member States (Cyprus, Malta and Romania). The quality classes under the New Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) are jointed with compliance categories under the Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC).
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Percentage of European coastal bathing waters complying with mandatory values (or with at least sufficient quality) and meeting guide values (or with excellent quality) for the year 2011 by sea region: Sea regions arranged by the percentage of compliance with mandatory values (or at least sufficient quality). EU Member States, Croatia and Montenegro. Five Member States (Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg and Slovakia) and Switzerland have no coastal bathing waters. The quality classes under the New Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) are jointed with compliance categories under the Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC).
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Bathing water quality (CSI 022) - Assessment published Oct 2012: The quality of water at designated bathing waters in Europe (coastal and inland) has improved significantly since 1990. Compliance with mandatory values in EU coastal bathing waters increased from just below 80 % in 1990 to 93.1 % in 2011. Compliance with guide values likewise rose from over 68 % to 80.1 % in 2011. Compliance with mandatory values in EU inland bathing waters increased from over 52 % in 1990 to 89.9 % in 2011. Similarly, the rate of compliance with guide values moved from over 36 % in 1990 to 70.4 % in 2011.
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Percentage of inland bathing waters in the European Union per compliance category: Trend in percentage of inland bathing waters in the European Union per compliance category
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Bathing water quality in the European Union in the 2010 and 2011 bathing seasons: Bathing water quality in the European Union in the 2010 and 2011 bathing seasons under strict and less strict rules
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Reported bathing waters in Europe per million inhabitants, reported inland bathing waters per 1 000 km2 and reported coastal bathing waters per 10 km of coastline: Specific number of bathing waters per million inhabitants, per coastline and per land area
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Clean water at majority of EU holiday destinations: Good news if you're planning a beach holiday in Europe this summer: 92.1 % of bathing waters in the European Union now meet the minimum water quality standards set by the Bathing Water Directive. This includes the Serpentine Lake in London, which will host several Olympics events, including the Open Water Marathon Swim and the swimming section of the triathlon.
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Bathing Water Directive - Status of bathing water: The EU Bathing Waters Directive requires Member States to identify popular bathing places in fresh and coastal waters and monitor them for indicators of microbiological pollution (and other substances) throughout the bathing season which runs from May to September
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Bathing water quality (CSI 022) - Assessment published Mar 2012: The quality of water at designated bathing waters in Europe (coastal and inland) has improved significantly since 1990. Compliance with mandatory values in EU coastal bathing waters increased from just below 80 % in 1990 to 92.1 % in 2010. Compliance with guide values likewise rose from over 68 % to 79.5 % in 2010. Compliance with mandatory values in EU inland bathing waters increased from 52 % in 1990 to 90.2 % in 2010. Similarly, the rate of compliance with guide values moved from 36.4 % in 1990 to 60.5 % in 2010.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Bathing water quality
Percentage of European coastal bathing waters complying with mandatory values and meeting guide values of the Bathing Water Directive for the year 2010 by sea region: Sea regions arranged by the percentage of compliance with mandatory values. EU Member States, Croatia and Montenegro. Five Member States (Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg and Slovakia) and Switzerland have no coastal bathing waters. The quality classes under the New Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) for Malta are jointed with compliance categories under the Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC).
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