State of bathing water

Page Last modified 30 May 2018
2 min read
Heading for your favourite beach? Is the bathing water clean? Europe has a great diversity of beautiful beaches and bathing areas, and each year millions of Europeans spend their weekends at their local beach or their holidays cooling down by the water. As this year's bathing season approaches, many citizens have a keen interest in the quality of bathing waters.

Quality of bathing water - 2017 bathing season

To allow Europeans to make an informed choice on which beach to choose, an annual report on the quality of coastal and freshwater bathing areas, as reported by EU Member States is prepared. This year the report has been prepared by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in cooperation with the European Commission DG Environment. The report assesses the bathing water quality in all 28 EU Member States, as well as Albania and Switzerland in the 2017 bathing water season and thereby gives an indication of the areas where the quality of bathing is expected to be good this year.

Cover Image 2018 report

 

EEA report - European Bathing Water Quality in 2017


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details on all Member States bathing waters for the 2017 season can be found in the national bathing water reports:

Each report contains details on bathing water monitoring in the specific country and an assessment of the 2017 results and the trend in bathing water quality.

Austria Estonia Italy Portugal
Belgium Finland Latvia Romania
Bulgaria France Lithuania Slovakia
Croatia Germany Luxembourg Slovenia
Cyprus Greece Malta Spain
Czechia Hungary (The) Netherlands Sweden
Denmark Ireland Poland United Kingdom
Non EU countries: Albania Switzerland

The EU summary report is based on bathing water data available up to mid May 2018.

Bathing water quality interactive map

We all want to know the quality of 'our' local bathing area, beach or lake, and whether it conforms to EU standards. Below you will find a map viewer that will allow you to view on-line the quality of the bathing water in the more than 21 000 coastal beaches and freshwater bathing waters across Europe.

By using the WISE map viewer you can check the bathing water quality on an interactive map. It also documents how bathing waters have changed throughout Europe in recent years and provides a full summary of Europe’s bathing water quality in 2016. Go directly to the WISE map viewer

More information

Related content

News and articles

More European sites meet excellent bathing water quality standards than ever before More European sites meet excellent bathing water quality standards than ever before More than 85 percent of bathing water sites monitored across Europe in 2016 met the most stringent ‘excellent’ quality standards — meaning they were mostly free from pollutants harmful to human health and the environment, according to the annual bathing water quality report published today. Over 96 percent of bathing water sites met minimum quality requirements set out under European Union rules.
Forty years of investments have improved Europe’s bathing water Forty years of investments have improved Europe’s bathing water The European Union’s efforts to ensure clean and healthy bathing water began forty years ago when the first Bathing Water Directive was issued. The annual bathing water report published today proves the value of the legislation and the years of investment in waste water infrastructure and other pollution reduction measures. It shows that bathing water quality has improved continuously over time leading to ninety-six per cent of monitored bathing sites in the EU meeting the minimum standards for water quality in 2015.

Related data

Bathing Water Directive - Status of bathing water 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
Bathing Water Directive - Status of bathing water 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
Bathing Water Directive - Status of bathing water 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

Related interactive map

State of bathing waters State of bathing waters 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.

Related publications

European bathing water quality in 2017 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.
European bathing water quality in 2016 European bathing water quality in 2016 Every summer, European holiday resorts fill up with tourists eager to enjoy the warmer weather and the beautiful natural surroundings of this diverse continent. For many, the summer vacation is synonymous with swimming in the sea or in a lake, so it is natural that water quality is an important factor in choosing a destination. To help citizens make informed choices, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission publish the annual European bathing water quality report. The information contained in this edition - which covers bathing water quality in 2016 in the EU Member States, Albania and Switzerland - indicates where good quality bathing water is likely to be found in 2017.
European bathing water quality in 2015 European bathing water quality in 2015 Every summer, European holiday resorts fill up with tourists eager to enjoy the warmer weather and the beautiful natural surroundings of this diverse continent. For many, the summer vacation is synonymous with swimming in the sea or in a lake, so it is natural that water quality is an important factor in choosing a destination. To help citizens make informed choices, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission publish the annual European bathing water quality report. The information contained in this edition - which covers bathing water quality in 2015 in the EU Member States, Albania and Switzerland - indicates where good quality bathing water is likely to be found in 2016.

See also

Water quality and water assessment Water quality and water assessment
Country reports 2011 bathing season Country reports 2011 bathing season
Denmark 2016 bathing water report Denmark 2016 bathing water report
Albania 2016 bathing water report Albania 2016 bathing water report
Romania 2016 bathing water report Romania 2016 bathing water report
Sweden 2016 bathing water report Sweden 2016 bathing water report
Ireland 2016 bathing water report Ireland 2016 bathing water report
Greece 2016 bathing water report Greece 2016 bathing water report
Luxembourg 2016 bathing water report Luxembourg 2016 bathing water report
Portugal 2016 bathing water report Portugal 2016 bathing water report
Spain 2016 bathing water report Spain 2016 bathing water report
Bulgaria 2016 bathing water report Bulgaria 2016 bathing water report
Hungary 2016 bathing water report Hungary 2016 bathing water report
Belgium 2016 bathing water report Belgium 2016 bathing water report
Cyprus 2016 bathing water report Cyprus 2016 bathing water report
Italy 2016 bathing water report Italy 2016 bathing water report
Croatia 2016 bathing water report Croatia 2016 bathing water report
Czechia 2016 bathing water report Czechia 2016 bathing water report
Poland 2016 bathing water report Poland 2016 bathing water report
Estonia 2016 bathing water report Estonia 2016 bathing water report
Slovakia 2016 bathing water report Slovakia 2016 bathing water report
Lithuania 2016 bathing water report Lithuania 2016 bathing water report
Slovenia 2016 bathing water report Slovenia 2016 bathing water report
Austria 2016 bathing water report Austria 2016 bathing water report
United Kingdom 2016 bathing water report United Kingdom 2016 bathing water report
Latvia 2016 bathing water report Latvia 2016 bathing water report
Finland 2016 bathing water report Finland 2016 bathing water report
Netherlands 2016 bathing water report Netherlands 2016 bathing water report
Malta 2016 bathing water report Malta 2016 bathing water report
Switzerland 2016 bathing water report Switzerland 2016 bathing water report
Country reports 2016 bathing season Country reports 2016 bathing season
France 2016 bathing water report France 2016 bathing water report
Note on Albania's bathing water quality Note on Albania's bathing water quality
Malta 2015 bathing water report Malta 2015 bathing water report
Austria 2015 bathing water report Austria 2015 bathing water report
Belgium 2015 bathing water report Belgium 2015 bathing water report
Czech Republic 2015 bathing water report Czech Republic 2015 bathing water report
The Netherlands 2015 bathing water report The Netherlands 2015 bathing water report
Slovenia 2015 bathing water report Slovenia 2015 bathing water report
Cyprus 2015 bathing water report Cyprus 2015 bathing water report
Latvia 2015 bathing water report Latvia 2015 bathing water report
Lithuania 2015 bathing water report Lithuania 2015 bathing water report
Ireland 2015 bathing water report Ireland 2015 bathing water report
Luxembourg 2015 bathing water report Luxembourg 2015 bathing water report
Romania 2015 bathing water report Romania 2015 bathing water report
Denmark 2015 bathing water report Denmark 2015 bathing water report
Albania 2015 bathing water report Albania 2015 bathing water report
Estonia 2015 bathing water report Estonia 2015 bathing water report
Portugal 2015 bathing water report Portugal 2015 bathing water report
Italy 2015 bathing water report Italy 2015 bathing water report
France 2015 bathing water report France 2015 bathing water report
Finland 2015 bathing water report Finland 2015 bathing water report
Germany 2015 bathing water report Germany 2015 bathing water report
Slovakia 2015 bathing water report Slovakia 2015 bathing water report
Bulgaria 2015 bathing water report Bulgaria 2015 bathing water report
Greece 2015 bathing water report Greece 2015 bathing water report
Sweden 2015 bathing water report Sweden 2015 bathing water report
Hungary 2015 bathing water report Hungary 2015 bathing water report
Switzerland 2015 bathing water report Switzerland 2015 bathing water report
United Kingdom 2015 bathing water report United Kingdom 2015 bathing water report
Spain 2015 bathing water report Spain 2015 bathing water report
Poland 2015 bathing water report Poland 2015 bathing water report
Croatia 2015 bathing water report Croatia 2015 bathing water report
Country reports 2015 bathing season Country reports 2015 bathing season
Country reports 2014 bathing season Country reports 2014 bathing season
Country reports 2013 bathing season Country reports 2013 bathing season
National or regional pages National or regional pages National or regional websites for bathing water quality
Country reports 2012 bathing season Country reports 2012 bathing season
Bathing water photo gallery Bathing water photo gallery
Country reports 2010 bathing season Country reports 2010 bathing season
Country reports 2009 bathing season Country reports 2009 bathing season
Country reports 2008 bathing season Country reports 2008 bathing season
Bathing water Directives Bathing water Directives

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For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/europes-seas-and-coasts/assessments/state-of-bathing-water/state-of-bathing-water-3 or scan the QR code.

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