On a sunlit morning along the Dalmatian Coast, swimmer Luka Jurić wades into the Adriatic, where Croatia’s waters—like 95% of the country’s bathing sites—now rank “excellent” in quality, a testament to decades of environmental stewardship. As summer unfolds across Europe, a reassuring picture emerges: more than 85% of the European Union’s 22,000 monitored bathing sites now boast “excellent” water quality, according to the European Environment Agency’s 2025 report. This means swimmers from the Aegean to the Alps are diving into waters so clean they meet the EU’s strictest standards for fecal contamination. The findings underscore the success of the EU’s Bathing Water Directive, which has quietly transformed Europe’s coasts and inland waters into some of the safest for swimming in the world.
The report, which includes data from all 27 EU countries as well as Albania and Switzerland, reveals a continent where environmental policy has translated into tangible public health benefits. Coastal nations lead the rankings—Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Austria, and Croatia each report at least 95% of their sites as “excellent.” Even inland waters show strong performance, with 78% of rivers and lakes meeting at least “good” standards. The natural self-purifying capacity of seas and oceans gives coastal areas an edge, but consistent monitoring and infrastructure investments have made a difference far from the shore. “This summer we can all reap the benefits of solid implementation of EU bathing water rules, which have made a vast majority of our bathing waters clean enough to swim in,” said EEA Director Leena Yla-Mononen.
Still, challenges remain. Heavy rains and prolonged droughts can overwhelm sewage systems, leading to short-term pollution spikes in lakes and rivers. Albania lags behind, with 23.5% of its sites classified as “poor”—the lowest rating, which indicates a health risk from pathogens. Across the EU, 1.5% of sites still fall into this category. When a site scores “poor” for five consecutive years, swimming must be banned—a measure enacted at 57 locations between 2020 and 2024. Most of these were in Italy (34) and France (16), with smaller numbers in Spain, Sweden, Estonia, and Portugal. Encouragingly, four of these sites improved to at least “sufficient” by 2025, showing that remediation efforts can work.
Beyond health, the data reflects a broader story of environmental resilience. Clean water supports tourism, sustains ecosystems, and builds public trust in governance. As climate change increases pressure on water systems, the EU’s monitoring framework offers a model of accountability. With nearly 9 in 10 coastal sites rated “excellent,” the message is clear: when regulations are enforced and data is transparent, nature—and people—can thrive. For millions heading to Europe’s shores this summer, the water isn’t just inviting—it’s a sign of progress.