EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Trunks-and-bikini-clad Europeans and foreign tourists will be happy to know that as they take to the seas, rivers and lakes of the continent for a dip this year, the water quality has remained high, according to the European Commission's annual bathing water quality report, issued on Monday (2 June). The study, which is designed to be user-friendly for citizens - with an accompanying colour-coded online map system rather than a document legible only to denizens of the Brussels institutions - found that though water quality in Europe's bathing areas is good, there has been a slight decline on last year. "It's not exactly as good as it was in 2006," said environment commissioner Stavros Dimas to reporters at the launch of the report. "We have notice a slight decrease in quality." The UK in particular saw a ten-fold increase in areas not complying with European hygiene standards, with the number of 'dirty' beaches climbing from 0.4 percent in 2006 to 3.5 percent the last year.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Trunks-and-bikini-clad Europeans and foreign tourists will be happy to know that as they take to the seas, rivers and lakes of the continent for a dip this year, the water quality has remained high, according to the European Commission's annual bathing water quality report, issued on Monday (2 June).
The study, which is designed to be user-friendly for citizens - with an accompanying colour-coded online map system rather than a document legible only to denizens of the Brussels institutions - found that though water quality in Europe's bathing areas is good, there has been a slight decline on last year.
"It's not exactly as good as it was in 2006," said environment commissioner Stavros Dimas to reporters at the launch of the report. "We have notice a slight decrease in quality."
The UK in particular saw a ten-fold increase in areas not complying with European hygiene standards, with the number of 'dirty' beaches climbing from 0.4 percent in 2006 to 3.5 percent the last year.
Trunks-and-bikini-clad Europeans
Most of whom will be British while the European Cup is on.
