Water and marine environment

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All life on our planet - including our ecosystems, society and economy - is dependent on water. Marine and freshwater ecosystems have many vital functions: filtering, diluting and storing water, preventing floods, maintaining the climate balance at local and global levels, safeguarding biological diversity. More

Key facts and messages: Full and coordinated implementation of water and nature legislation would restore aquatic habitats and foster water efficiency. more; Nutrient enrichment of Europe's freshwaters is a concern, with pollution from agriculture a cause of poor water quality. more; Average nitrate concentrations in European rivers reduced by over 20% between 1992 and 2012, whilst orthophosphate concentrations more than halved. more; Water management should improve with the second round of river basin management plans covering the 2016-2021 period resulting in the realisation of more policy objectives through stringent, well-integrated implementation and public participation. more; Intensive agriculture, urbanisation, energy production and flood protection have altered European hydrological systems and freshwater habitats for decades. Climate change adds to these challenges (higher water temperature, more floods or water... more; Enhanced integration of water policy objectives into other policy areas, especially agriculture, is essential to ensure that a sufficient quantity of good quality water is available for people's needs and the environment. more; Much cleaner than 25 years ago, many waterbodies are still affected by pollutants and/or altered habitats. In 2009, only 43% showed a good/high ecological status; the 10 points expected increase for 2015 (53%) constitutes only a modest improvement... more

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Good news for holiday makers: excellent water quality at vast majority of European bathing sites

News 29 May 2018

Despite a slight drop in results, 85% of swimming sites across Europe monitored in 2017 met the European Union's highest and most stringent 'excellent' quality standards for waters mostly free from pollutants, according to the latest annual European bathing water quality report published today. The results give a good indication where holiday makers can find the best quality bathing waters this summer.

Vote for best ‘I LIVE GREEN’ videos

News 01 May 2018

The video competition ‘I LIVE GREEN’, organised by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and its partner network, has reached the final stage. The Public Choice Award will be decided through an open online vote where you can have your say about the best video.

Photo competition: Send us your best water pictures

News 16 Apr 2018

What comes to your mind when you think about water? Can you capture that in a photograph? The European Environment Agency (EEA) invites you to send your most creative shots to WaterPIX, a photo competition about water. The best entries will receive a cash prize.

World Water Day: Turning to nature for solutions

News 22 Mar 2018

Nature-based solutions are playing an increasingly important role to better protect Europeans against floods, droughts and water pollution. On World Water Day 2018, the European Environment Agency is highlighting the importance of clean water and how nature can help protect this valuable resource for generations to come.

Good news for holiday makers: excellent water quality at vast majority of European bathing sites Despite a slight drop in results, 85% of swimming sites across Europe monitored in 2017 met the European Union's highest and most stringent 'excellent' quality standards for waters mostly free from pollutants, according to the latest annual European bathing water quality report published today. The results give a good indication where holiday makers can find the best quality bathing waters this summer.

Vote for best ‘I LIVE GREEN’ videos The video competition ‘I LIVE GREEN’, organised by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and its partner network, has reached the final stage. The Public Choice Award will be decided through an open online vote where you can have your say about the best video.

Photo competition: Send us your best water pictures What comes to your mind when you think about water? Can you capture that in a photograph? The European Environment Agency (EEA) invites you to send your most creative shots to WaterPIX, a photo competition about water. The best entries will receive a cash prize.

World Water Day: Turning to nature for solutions Nature-based solutions are playing an increasingly important role to better protect Europeans against floods, droughts and water pollution. On World Water Day 2018, the European Environment Agency is highlighting the importance of clean water and how nature can help protect this valuable resource for generations to come.

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Towards healthy and productive seas in Europe and beyond

Article 15 Sep 2017

Marine life, the global climate and our economy and social wellbeing all depend on healthy seas. Despite some improvements, our assessments show that the way we currently use Europe’s seas remains unsustainable. Climate change and competition for natural resources add extra pressures on the marine environment. European policies and measures could result in greater improvements when they are implemented through an ‘ecosystem-based management’ approach and are supported by a global ocean governance framework.

Towards healthy and productive seas in Europe and beyond Marine life, the global climate and our economy and social wellbeing all depend on healthy seas. Despite some improvements, our assessments show that the way we currently use Europe’s seas remains unsustainable. Climate change and competition for natural resources add extra pressures on the marine environment. European policies and measures could result in greater improvements when they are implemented through an ‘ecosystem-based management’ approach and are supported by a global ocean governance framework.

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Marine Litter Watch - Citizens collect plastic and data to protect Europe's marine environment

Publication 08 Jun 2018

This briefing highlights the work and results of the Marine Litter Watch clean-up activities held on the beaches of Europe’s four regional seas (the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the North-East Atlantic Ocean) between 2014 and 2017. It also presents the top ten litter items found and attempts to link them to the most likely litter sources.

European bathing water quality in 2017

Publication 29 May 2018

The report assesses bathing water quality in 2017, indicating where the quality of bathing water is expected to be good in 2018. The report was compiled using information from more than 21 000 bathing waters in the 28 EU Member States. The report also covers bathing waters in Albania and Switzerland. The report is a joint production of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission.

Water management in Europe: price and non-price approaches to water conservation

Publication 04 Jul 2017

European Union (EU) water policies encourage Member States to implement better water demand management practices. This is a response to the pressures on water resources that are continuously increasing. Management practices on water demand are being revised to improve the existing supply-demand balance and ultimately to bring about a more water-efficient society.

The Arctic Environment

Publication 15 Jun 2017

This European Environment Agency (EEA) report contributes to the growing international discourse on the Arctic region. It is both timely and important, since it examines the increasingly rapid changes that are taking place in the Arctic from a European perspective. It considers the national, regional and global challenges and opportunities that are emerging as a result

Marine Litter Watch - Citizens collect plastic and data to protect Europe's marine environment This briefing highlights the work and results of the Marine Litter Watch clean-up activities held on the beaches of Europe’s four regional seas (the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the North-East Atlantic Ocean) between 2014 and 2017. It also presents the top ten litter items found and attempts to link them to the most likely litter sources.

European bathing water quality in 2017 The report assesses bathing water quality in 2017, indicating where the quality of bathing water is expected to be good in 2018. The report was compiled using information from more than 21 000 bathing waters in the 28 EU Member States. The report also covers bathing waters in Albania and Switzerland. The report is a joint production of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission.

Water management in Europe: price and non-price approaches to water conservation European Union (EU) water policies encourage Member States to implement better water demand management practices. This is a response to the pressures on water resources that are continuously increasing. Management practices on water demand are being revised to improve the existing supply-demand balance and ultimately to bring about a more water-efficient society.

The Arctic Environment This European Environment Agency (EEA) report contributes to the growing international discourse on the Arctic region. It is both timely and important, since it examines the increasingly rapid changes that are taking place in the Arctic from a European perspective. It considers the national, regional and global challenges and opportunities that are emerging as a result

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Water is life, let's protect it!

Video 15 Jun 2018

Water is life, let's protect it!

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Improvements and deteriorations in bathing water quality

Figure 14 Jun 2018

Bathing water sites where quality improved from poor in 2016 to sufficient, good or excellent in 2017; and bathing water sites where quality deteriorated from excellent, sufficient or good in 2016 to poor in 2017.

WISE WFD Database

Data 13 Jun 2018

The WISE WFD database contains data from the 1st River Basin Management Plans reported by EU Members States according to article 13 of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The database includes information about surface water bodies (number and size, water body category, ecological status or potential, chemical status, significant pressures and impacts) and about groundwater bodies (number and size, quantitative status, chemical status, significant pressures and impacts). The information is presented by country, river basin district (RBD) and river basin district sub-unit (where applicable).

WISE Water Framework Directive

Dashboard (Tableau) 13 Jun 2018

The WISE WFD database contains data from the 1st River Basin Management Plans reported by EU Members States according to article 13 of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The dashboards include information about surface water bodies (number and size, water body category, ecological status or potential, chemical status, significant pressures and impacts) and about groundwater bodies (number and size, quantitative status, chemical status, significant pressures and impacts). The information is presented by country, river basin district (RBD) and river basin district sub-unit (where applicable). To facilitate future comparisons, the RBDs and subunits are those used in the 2nd River Basin Management Plans (RBMP). Information about the 2nd RBMPs will be published later in 2018.

Distribution of marine litter by material type

Figure 07 Jun 2018

The illustration shows the distribution of marine litter reported by the public and where they were found

When beaches become dumping grounds

Figure 07 Jun 2018

The illustration shows the top ten items of marine litter reported by the public and where they were found.

Marine aquaculture production relative to coastline length

Data Visualization 07 Jun 2018

Aquaculture production

Indicator Assessment 07 Jun 2018

Marine aquaculture production is increasing in Europe (EEA39) since the early 1990s , mostly due to salmon production in Norway which is the main producer. For the same period of time, inland aquaculture in Europe is stable, and the main producer is Turkey, indicating that much of Europe's aquaculture production takes place outside the EU28 (Figure 3). In 2015, the most cultivated species in Europe (EEA39) was Atlantic salmon, while in the EU28 blue mussels were dominant. Other important species include rainbow trout, European sea bass, gilthead sea bream, oysters and carps, barbels and other cyprinids. The countries that contribute the most to European production (EEA39) are Norway (approximately 46 % of total European production), followed by Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Greece (Figure 6). These seven countries account for 90 % of all aquaculture production in Europe. Norway’s production is nearly all due to the farming of Atlantic salmon. Turkish production consists mainly of trout (inland), sea bream and sea bass (marine).

Bathing Water Directive - Status of bathing water

Data 28 May 2018

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

State of bathing waters

GIS Map Application 23 May 2018

Bathing water monitoring by country. Please note: for the scales 1:5.000.001 and less detailed, data are aggregated by country. In such case, stacked bars show percentage of bathing water quality for coastal and inland waters together. Number of bathing waters within certain category is seen in pop up window which can be turned on with a click on one of the countries. For the scale range 1:5 000.000 to 1:700,001, individual bathing water sites (points) are visible instead of classified stacked charts and are coloured according to the classification of bathing water quality. Symbol size depends on the map scale (in more detailed map scales symbols are bigger). For the scales 1:700,000 and more detailed, symbol of bather in a square appears instead of points. Symbol size depends on the map scale.

Water intensity of crop production

Indicator Assessment 21 Dec 2017

In Europe, between 2005 and 2013, the average water intensity of crop production was around 6 m 3 of water (irrigation plus soil moisture) for one unit of gross value added (GVA*) from all crops. In 2013, around 9 % less water was input to crops to produce the same GVA as in 2005. In western Europe, between 2005 and 2013, on average 5 m 3 of water (irrigation plus soil moisture) was input to crops to generate one unit of GVA. The water intensity of crop production improved by 5 % over the period. In southern Europe, between 2005 and 2013, on average 6 m 3 of water was input to crops to generate one unit of GVA. The water intensity of crop production improved by 13 % over the period. Crop patterns in southern Europe are, in general, associated with a relatively high GVA per hectare while irrigation is a major part of total water input to crops. In eastern Europe, between 2005 and 2013, on average 7 m 3 of water was input to crops to generate one unit of GVA. The water intensity of crop production improved by 18 % over the peiod. Improvements in water infrastructure and agricultural equipment resulted in reduced water losses and increased harvested yields. Between 2005 and 2013, the average water intensity of crop production was lowest in the Netherlands (0.6 m 3 for one unit of GVA) in western Europe, Malta (2 m 3 for one unit of GVA ) in southern Europe and Slovenia (3 m 3 for one unit of GVA ) in eastern Europe. * See definition of GVA and its units in Units section of this indicator.

Urban Waste Water Treatment map

GIS Map Application 14 Dec 2017

The map reflects the most recent available information at the EU-level on implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) in EU 28 plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland based on data reported by the Member States (for reference years 2013 or 2014) in 2015.

Bathing water quality in Europe

Infographic 30 May 2017

Bathing water quality is improving in Europe. In 2016, the vast majority (85.5 %) of the more than 21,000 monitored bathing sites had excellent water quality. About two thirds of all monitored sites are by the coast and one third in inland rivers and lakes.