According to the annual report on bathing water quality in Europe, Croatia has outstanding results in terms of cleanliness and safety, of both coastal and inland waters. Over 90 percent of the bathing sites tested in Croatia during 2011 was found to be of excellent quality, testifying once again to the country’s superb achievements in nature and environment issues.

Other top performers include Cyprus, Malta and Greece. The report was made by the European Environmental Agency headquartered in Denmark, and is based on regular sampling of more than 22 000 coastal and inland bathing sites throughout Europe.

- Europeans care about water quality and knowing that they have clean and safe water to swim or play in is an important factor in their choice of a holiday or weekend destination. For the tourism industry, clean and safe water is also a major factor in attracting visitors to an area, says the introductory note to the report, signed by Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the environment and Jacqueline McGlade, executive director at the European Environment Agency.

The information was recently published on the European Commission official web page. The report is available at:

>> www.eea.europa.eu/publications/european-bathing-water-quality-in-2011