Just as the weather starts hotting up and people’s eyes turn to outdoor swimming spots to dive into, a new report has turned in a positive verdict on the quality of bathing waters in Germany. 

95 percent of bathing spots in Germany have excellent water quality

Of the 2.291 bathing spots in Germany - which includes the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts, lakes, and rivers - 2.071 have water with excellent cleanliness, making for an overall score of 90,4 percent, significantly above the EU average of 85 percent.

The most recent bathing water report from the European Commission and the European Environment Agency found that a further 130 bathing spots had good water quality, and 38 sufficient. Only 14 bathing areas (0,6 percent) were classified as poor.

The report is based on measurements taken during last year’s swimming season at 21.859 bathing areas across the 27 EU member states, and 300 monitored bathing sites in Albania and Switzerland. More than 95 percent were found to meet minimum quality standards in accordance with EU regulations. 

Europe working to improve bathing water standards

EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius said, “The findings of this report are good news for those spending their well-deserved summer holidays at Europe’s beautiful bathing spots. Whether it’s a Greek beach, a Hungarian lake, or a French river, we can be sure that the vast majority of bathing waters are of excellent quality. This is good for the environment, our health and for the European tourism industry.”

Since the EU Bathing Water Directive was implemented in the 1970s, member states have made significant strides in improving water quality across the bloc. The proportion of water bodies with poor quality has decreased from 2 percent in 2013 to 1,5 percent in 2021. 

Image: Ioana Catalina E / Shutterstock