Cyprus ranked at the top of Europe in terms of the quality of its bathing waters in 2023, and Greece is in fourth place according to an assessment published on Tuesday by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in partnership with the European Commission.
A total of 97.6 percent of the bathing waters surveyed on the island last year got an ‘excellent’ score. A total of 123 bathing waters were surveyed, all of them coastal (beaches). In total, 1,150 samples were taken from the 123 sites.
According to the EEA, bathing waters are quality-classed according to the two microbiological parameters (Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci) defined in the Bathing Water Directive.
“The exceptional results regarding the quality of swimming waters in Cyprus are significant not only for the swimmers’ health and the environment but also for the island’s economy, which is closely linked to the quality of our seas and tourist activity,” Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said in a statement later in the day.
“This success and top ranking which honors Cyprus once again is the result of the impeccable cooperation of the environmental department, which has the overall responsibility for implementing the Bathing Water Directive, with the public health services, the state laboratory, as well as with the local authorities,” the statement continued.
Greece behind Cyprus in quality bathing waters
Greece, with 95.8 percent (1,659) of the 1,731 beaches examined being characterized as excellent in terms of health parameters, was in 4th place in the European ranking, behind only Cyprus, Austria ( 96.9 percent) and Croatia (96.7 percent).
In Greece, not a single bathing place of poor quality was recorded, 17 were of good quality, 4 were satisfactory, and 51 were not classified.
Last week it was announced that Greece has the second-highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the world, an accolade that guarantees beaches of dazzling beauty as well as a commitment to sustainability and excellent amenities.
Greece numbered second in the number of Blue Flag beaches of countries worldwide, boasting a staggering 596, 94 of which are in the Halkidiki region on the country’s northern side.
The vast majority of bathing water sites in Europe met the EU’s most stringent “excellent” bathing quality standards in 2023. This represents 85 percent of Europe’s popular bathing waters. As many as 96 percent of all officially identified bathing waters in the EU met the minimum quality standards, with only 1.5 percent rated as ‘poor’.
The assessment highlights where swimmers can find safe bathing sites in Europe this summer. It focuses specifically on safety for bathing, through monitoring of bacteria which can cause serious illness in people, rather than general water quality.
Related: The Most Beautiful Beaches in Cyprus