Brussels, 29/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - As every year with the approach of the summer holidays, the European Commission has just released a report on the quality of bathing water in Europe. This water analysis has taken place ever since the 76/160/ECC Directive was put into place in order to establish the level of microbiological and physico-chemical content of the water and lay down minimal compliance levels in water quality, as well as indicative standards that Member States should strive to achieve in order to attain optimal quality. This report (the nineteenth of its kind) assesses last year's bathing season. In this respect it only provides information on water over a limited time scale. Nevertheless, the information provided on the 13,429 seaside beaches and 5,783 fresh water areas (lakes and rivers) bodes well, as it confirms a trend in which quality has been consistently improving in coastal waters over the last ten years. Inland water quality has slightly declined compared to last year. The difference in quality between coastal and freshwater beaches remains marked, the former being much less polluted (bacteria survives for much longer in inland waters).
Ten years ago, overall compliance levels in coastal waters were 85% of that demanded in the directive, with the rate reaching 97% in 2001 (96.5% in 2000). For freshwater sites this level was less than 50% in 1992 and 93% in 2001 (93.6% in 2000). The situation has therefore slightly deteriorated. In presenting the report to the press, Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström declared that she was pleased, "that this year's report confirms the consistent trend towards reducing the risks of infection in our coastal waters. We need to keep up the pressure for improvement". The Commissioner welcomed the fact that France, which had not communicated any information for several years "had resumed" its place in the report, given that it remains a favourite holiday destination for European citizens. The Commission finds, nonetheless, the 2001 results difficult to interpret for both coastal and freshwater zones because a high number of bathing areas were not sufficiently sampled (over 8% of bathing waters) and because the 1999 and 2000 results are still absent.
Focusing on the most significant trends, Margot Wallström mentioned the decline in quality of fresh water sites in Austrian waters (from 96.6% in 2000 down to 92.9% in 2001) and the Netherlands, whose percentage of freshwater bathing areas complying with the mandatory values dropped from 96.2% to 92.4%. A fall in quality related to exceptional weather conditions and the compulsory bans on bathing in Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg in a number of fresh water sites. The Commissioner was alarmed by the fact that 14.6% of sites in Spain were out of bounds and pointed out that a second appearance in the Court of Justice had threatened the introduction of a fine on the country (in keeping with Article 228 of the Treaty). Prohibiting bathing should not in any instance become a technique for avoiding the obligations of the directive, explained Ms Wallström.
In terms of the report, Belgium is the only country in full compliance with the directive for its coastal waters but the quality of its fresh water sites continues to decline for the fourth year running and now stands at just 90% compliance. Greece has exceeded the 99% threshold for the first time (99.4%) for their quality of its coastal waters. The proportion of coastal bathing areas compliant with the more stringent guide values rose from 95% to 97.1%. Portugal has experienced an improvement in bathing water quality for both the coastal (96.7%) and the freshwater zones (84.2%). The United Kingdom has further improved its compliance rate for its coastal waters, reaching 95.3%. Also for fresh waters compliance has gone up, back to the 1998 figure of 100% compliance. Italy's coastal water quality results are at an all time high (96.6%). Finland is facing a huge drop in compliance rate for coastal waters compared to last year (98.3% in 2000 vs. 88.3% in 2001). The quality of its inland waters remains stable.
Commissioner Wallström considers that Directive 76/160/ECC on bathing water quality has been achieved but stressed the need to re-examine the text of this 26 year old document. A proposal of the amended directive is being prepared that aims to improve the level of protection so that the chances of contracting gastric illnesses or other medical problems as a result of swimming are reduced (contamination from bacteria resulting from insufficient treatment of animal waste or used water treatment that can cause gastro-enteritis and even respiratory diseases) and simplify the management of the directive's implementation by Member States. This proposal will be presented by the Commission after the summer break, announced Ms Wallström.. The Bathing Water Quality site with the most recent results is located at: http: //http://www.europa.eu.int/water/water-bathing/report.html