Bathing waters with excellent water quality in Europe

Bathing water quality has improved over time based on tests for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and intestinal enterococci bacteria. Between 2010 and 2023, the share of EU bathing waters classified as ‘excellent’ quality was within a range of 81-89% for coastal bathing waters and 60-82% for inland bathing waters. Consistently high shares of excellent bathing water quality indicate that the combined effect of the systematic monitoring and management of bathing sites, and improvements in wastewater networks and treatment have led to a drastic reduction in organic pollutants and pathogens.

Proportion of coastal and inland bathing waters of excellent quality in the EU-27 between 2010 and 2023

One of the main requirements of the Bathing Water Directive (BWD) was to ensure that all bathing waters were of at least ‘sufficient’ quality by 2015. In the 2023 bathing season, this requirement was met by 96% of all EU Member States' bathing waters.

The highest level, ‘excellent’, is the most ambitious bacteriological quality of bathing waters. An excellent quality of bathing water ensures an enhanced level of health protection for bathers, and also indicates that certain pressures such as urban wastewater discharge and animal manure are properly addressed, with potential additional benefits for the aquatic environment.

In coastal waters, the share of excellent bathing sites increased steadily from 2010 (80.6%) to 2016 (88%), stabilising at around 88-89% from 2017 to 2023. The share of inland bathing waters with excellent quality grew markedly from 2010 (60.3%) to 2017 (82.2%), showing a slight decrease afterwards and stabilising at around 78-79% from 2019 to 2023.

The European bathing water quality in 2023 briefing explains that bathing water quality in coastal areas is generally better than in their inland counterparts. Many of central Europe’s inland bathing waters are found in relatively small lakes, ponds and rivers. These inland waters are more susceptible than those in coastal areas to short-term pollution caused by heavy rains.

The briefing also notes that climate change is expected to increase the intensity and frequency of various extreme weather events, including heavy rains. In turn, these events will impact bathing water quality through pollution from sewer overflows, floods or surface run-off. This will come with corresponding potential increased health risks for bathers.

These sources of pollution should be tackled at the local level on a case-by-case basis through integrated urban wastewater management plans under the recast Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (recast UWWTD). In the long term, it can be expected that the implementation of such plans and furthermore stringent requirements on wastewater treatment, as envisaged by the recast UWWTD, may help preserve or even improve the current level of excellent bathing water quality across the EU Member States.

Proportion of coastal and inland bathing waters of excellent quality in EU-27, Albania and Switzerland, season 2023

In 2023, the share of coastal bathing waters with excellent quality was above 90% in 10 countries (Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Malta, Portugal and Italy). It was between 60-90% in another ten (Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, Latvia, France, Ireland, Romania, Sweden, Belgium and Finland) and between 40-60% in three countries (Poland, Estonia and Albania).

The proportion of inland bathing waters with excellent quality was above 90% in seven countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Austria, Finland, Denmark and Germany). It was between 60-90% in 16 countries (Lithuania, Ireland, Luxembourg, Italy, Estonia, Czechia, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Slovakia, Netherlands, Latvia, Belgium, Portugal, Slovenia and Hungary) and between 30-60% in four countries (Poland, Spain, Croatia and Albania). The described data distribution confirms that bathing water quality in coastal waters is generally better than in their inland counterparts.

Supporting information

DefinitionMethodology

Before each bathing season, countries identify national bathing waters, define the length of the bathing season for each and establish monitoring protocols for coastal and transitional waters, rivers and lakes. Swimming and spa pools are exempt from the BWD’s requirements. Before and during the bathing season, local and national authorities take samples from bathing waters and analyse them for the two types of bacteria (E. coli and intestinal enterococci) that are indicative of pollution from sewage and manure. Based on the levels of bacteria detected, bathing water quality is then classified as either ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’.

In accordance with the BWD, each Member State must collect and analyse at least four water samples per bathing water — one taken before the bathing season and the other three (at least) during the season, with no more than one month between each sample collection. To define the status of a bathing water in a specific season, four samples from that season and four from each of the three preceding seasons are generally needed. The classification is conducted according to the requirements set out in Annex I and Annex II of the BWD. The assessment procedure is explained in the Guidelines for the assessment under the Bathing Water Directive. Once a quality class has been attributed to each bathing water, the indicator is derived per each country and water type (coastal, inland) as the percentage of bathing water in excellent status calculated on the total of bathing waters in the same country and for each specific water type. At the EU-27 level, the indicator is derived per each water type (coastal, inland) as the percentage of bathing water in excellent status calculated on the total of bathing waters in the EU-27 for each specific water type.

The indicator has been calculated using the same database underlying the European bathing water quality in 2023 briefing. Data are from 2023 annual reports by EU Member States, Albania and Switzerland. The EEA’s European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC BE) provided support to the development of the database.

Policy/environmental relevance

The BWD classification scheme aims to provide a meaningful picture of bathing water quality over the long term. The evolution of the share of excellent bathing waters over time provides valuable information on the effectiveness of main water-related policies and legislation in Europe. These are the BWD, the Nitrates Directive and the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. It also supports the assessment of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, notably Goal 6 ‘Clean water and sanitation’ and Goal 14 ‘Life below water’.

Accuracy and uncertainties

The rules on the handling of samples for microbiological analyses, the reference methods of analysis and the methodology for the classification of bathing waters are set by the EU for an accurate and harmonised assessment across the EU. Also, other European non-EU reporting countries are expected to follow the same procedures. Therefore, the calculation of the indicator is accurate. Concerning geographical and time comparability, a legislative and methodological transitional period occurred between 2008 to 2014, due to the initial implementation of the current BWD repealing the previous BWD 76/160/EEC. Consequently, the period 2010-2015 should be regarded as transitional in relation to classification, with methodological changes from one season to the other. In this period, time and geographical comparability may be hampered to a certain degree. After this period comparability can be considered as at a high level.

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Bathing waters with excellent water quality in Europe

Figure 1. Proportion of coastal and inland bathing waters of excellent quality in the EU-27 between 2010 and 2023

Figure 2. Proportion of coastal and inland bathing waters of excellent quality in EU-27, Albania and Switzerland, season 2023

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