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More action needed to tackle mixtures of chemicals in Europe's waters

Despite successes in addressing some of the most hazardous chemicals, more attention is needed to address the danger posed by the 'cocktail effect' of lower concentrations of chemicals in European lakes, rivers and other surface water bodies, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report released today.

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Restoring floodplains would improve state of water, ecosystems and climate protection in Europe

Areas next to rivers hold potential for cost-effective flood protection and improving the health of an entire river ecosystem. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published today, restoring European floodplains closer to their natural state would contribute to the achievement of several European Union policies. Estimates suggest that 70-90 % of Europe’s floodplain area is ecologically degraded.

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WaterPIX photo competition winners announced

Cattle crossing a river in Turkey, a dramatic shot of a diving kingfisher in Croatia and a fisherman paddling on a Polish lagoon were some of the top winners of the WaterPIX photo competition announced today. The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) competition drew over 2000 entries from 34 countries.

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Mercury pollution remains a problem in Europe and globally

Historical and current emissions of mercury continue to present a significant risk to the environment and human health, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published today. The main source of new mercury emissions in Europe is coal burning but about half of the mercury deposited in Europe’s environment originates from outside Europe.

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Vote for your favourite WaterPIX finalist photos

The WaterPIX photo competition, organised by the European Environment Agency (EEA), has reached its last stage with 49 finalist photos. A public online vote that starts today will decide the winner of the Public Choice Award.

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Water in Europe means life, health, food, leisure, energy and more

Europe's freshwater and marine resources may seem limitless but they are under increasing pressure from pollution, over-exploitation and climate change. The European Environment Agency's (EEA) Signals 2018 explores the state and trends of Europe’s waters, asking how we can ensure healthy rivers, lakes, groundwater resources and seas for future generations.

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European waters getting cleaner, but big challenges remain

Despite progress in improving the quality of Europe’s lakes, rivers, coastal waters and groundwater sources, pollution, structures like dams, and over-abstraction remain top threats to their long-term health. A vast majority of Europe’s water bodies still fail to meet the European Union’s minimum target for ‘good status’, according to a European Environment Agency ‘state of water’ report published today.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Video competition: Share your green actions

How did you get to work or school today? By car, bicycle or public transport? Every day we make decisions that can impact the environment. Some of our daily decisions are conscious efforts to live in a cleaner and healthier environment. The video competition ‘I LIVE GREEN’, organised by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and its partner network, invites all Europeans to show their creativity and to share their actions to help the environment. The best videos will receive a cash prize.

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Restoring floodplains and wetlands offer value-for-money solution to river flooding

Investing in ‘green infrastructure’ like restoring floodplains or wetlands to bolster flood prevention not only generates more environmental and socio-economic benefits, especially in the long term, but also lowers the amount of financial investment needed to defend against damaging floods. This is the conclusion of a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report published today, which assesses the green options available in building climate resilience in wake of the increased risk posed by river flooding.

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Better mix of measures including pricing and awareness campaigns key to improving sustainable water use

In the face of challenges like drought and growing demand in many European Union countries, managing water supplies will require a better mix of pricing and non-pricing measures to ensure efficient household water use, according to a new European Environment Agency briefing published today.

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European action can help ease pressure on threatened Arctic environment

The Arctic region is warming at a rate of almost twice the global average, resulting in profound and rapid changes in its living conditions and the environment. A European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published today, looks at how the rest of Europe affects the Arctic environment and how changes in the region impact Europe in return.

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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.

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Quality of Europe’s water for people’s use has improved, but challenges remain to keep it clean and healthy

The quality of drinking water and bathing water, and the effectiveness of waste water treatment across the European Union continues to improve, according to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report published today. However, pollution from sources like waste water treatment plants, agricultural runoff and storm water overflows, and emerging risks like micro pollutants from personal care products pose challenges to maintaining clean and healthy water for people’s use.

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Restoring European rivers and lakes in cities improves quality of life

Rivers and lakes located in European cities and towns are getting cleaner thanks to improvements in waste water treatment and restoration projects which have brought many waterways back to life. New forms of water management contribute to make our cities greener, smarter and more sustainable, but key challenges remain, according to a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) released today.

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Fish to fork: a need to implement changes in the food system

Securing our need for food has become a major threat to the environment, driving increased emissions and over-exploitation of natural resources such as water, soil and fish. Our health and well-being have also been affected. Ensuring nutritious food for all in a fair and environmentally sound way has become a societal, economic and policy challenge across the world. A shared understanding of the food system and the roles different actors — policy makers, producers and other stakeholders in the food supply-chain — play will be crucial to a sustainable future, according to a new European Environment Agency report published today.

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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.

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