Brussels, 21/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - As every year on the run-up to the summer, the European Commission has just published its report on the quality of bathing water in Europe, measured in relation to Directive 76/160/EC which, on the basis of microbiological and physio-chemical parameters, sets the minimum compulsory values guarantors of the quality of water and optional indicative values to reach excellence. This report - the eighteenth of its type - concerns the season 2000 and covers 11,502 coastal beaches and 4,333 areas of fresh water. Its results are encouraging as they confirm the constant tendency to improvements in the quality of coastal waters and inland waters (lakes and rivers), recorded over the last ten years. Whereas in 1992, the Union's coastal waters complied to the tune of 85% with the minimum criteria set out in the directive, in 2000 the level of compliance reached 97%. As for fresh water, its level of compliance went from less than 50% in 1992 to close to 94% in 2000. Certainly, the difference remains marked between the quality of coastal waters, much less polluted than inland waters (where bacteria survives longer) but this gap tends to narrow yearly - a progress that Margot Wallstom, Commissioner for the Environment, welcomed when she presented the report to the press on Monday. According to her, indeed, these results bear witness to the effectiveness of a directive that is twenty-five years old, "which has had a very positive impact of the quality of water in Europe, as it is now well-known by Member states and the public, and put to good use for tourism purposes". "the quality of water is an major asset in attracting tourists," Wallstrom declared.
The overall improvement in the situation does not prevent variable performances depending on Member States. Here are the most significant results by country: Belgium: coastal waters comply 100%, for the tenth consecutive year, but it is the third consecutive year that standards have worsened for fresh water (rate of compliance: 90%). Denmark: succeeded in ending the deterioration of the coastal waters (95.8% compliance against 92.7 in 1999), but has not yet returned to the quality of 1996; Germany: continued improvement for coastal waters (compliance 96.8%), but stagnation for the quality of inland waters (92% for the second consecutive year); Greece, Luxembourg and Ireland: most stable levels for the three years, both coastal and fresh water; Spain: marginal progress for coastal water quality (98.1% conformity), but the quality of inland waters remains below the European average (only 79.2%). The Commission could decide, on Wednesday, to refer to the Court of Justice a demand for financial penalties against this Member State for persistent failure in its obligation to carry out a ruling by the Court in 1998 on this issue. France: for the second year in a row, this country has not passed on the information; the Commission deplores this and does not dismiss opening an infringement procedure for this failing, even if the checks and sampling of water have been carried out by this country; Italy: the level of quality as high for the coastal waters (95.6% conformity rate) as for fresh waters (95.8%). Netherlands: conformity rate for coastal waters is high and extremely stable (98.7%) and considerable improvement in quality of fresh water bathing waters (96.2% against 90.7 in 1999); Austria: good results, with a rate of conformity for fresh water of 96.6%. Portugal: slight degradation of coastal waters (92.2% conformity, against 93.9% in 1999) and notably a deterioration in the quality of fresh water (rate of conformity of only 69% against 78.4% in 1999). Finland and Sweden: noticeable improvement in their performance, with a rate of conformity of 98.8% for Finland, all the water counted, and of 96% for Sweden. United Kingdom: improvement of coastal waters, 94% conformity (against 91.5% in 1999), but a fall for fresh waters (rate of conformity fallen to 81.8% (against 100% in 1998 and 90.9% in 1999), notably due to flooding.
Recalling that the links between the environment and health are among the Commission's priorities in its proposal for the sixth action programme for the environment (2001-2002), Mrs Wallström underlined that - at the crossroads of human activity, the environment and public health - constitute a ground for privileged study. The revision of the Directive 76/160/EEC notably aims to establish closer links between the quality of water and human infections by following the new recommendations from the WHO, on an updated scientific basis, by introducing management standards in accordance with the Framework Directive on Water and by seeking a better cost/efficiency relationship for the Member States, explains the Commissioner. The new proposal will be presented at the end of this year and will take into account the suggestions formulated by all the actors concerned during the consolation that has just ended with the Commission Communication from January 2001.