Most EU beaches unpolluted, holidaymakers told
Date: 30-May-02
Country: BELGIUM
The European Commission's annual report on bathing water showed 97 percent of beaches in the 15-country bloc were up to the mark.
"Due to substantial investment in waste water treatment made by all member states, there has been a consistent trend towards improved quality of bathing water across Europe since the adoption of the relevant directive (EU law) in 1976," EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom said.
EU law requires countries to regularly test their coastal and inland bathing waters for pollution such as sewage and animal waste which can give swimmers gastro-enteritis or respiratory illnesses.
Belgium fared best, with all its North Sea beaches passing the test. France came out worst with only an 87.9 percent pass rate, although it suffered from insufficient testing at 8.5 percent of its beaches.
Ninety-three percent of the EU's inland bathing waters - lakes and rivers - were deemed safe.
The good news was somewhat tempered by a separate Commission report which found many EU countries were not treating sewage before pumping it into rivers or the sea, despite EU rules.
The most recent data, from December 1998, showed well-known seaside towns such as Brighton in England and Spain's San Sebastian were pumping sewage straight into the sea. Despite that, both towns passed the pollution test.
Brussels, Milan, Cork and Oporto also lacked sewage treatment, the report said. Under European law, all EU towns of more than 150,000 inhabitants should pre-treat sewage before discharging it into the environment.