Bathing waters with excellent quality by location

This indicator shows the share of inland and coastal bathing waters with excellent quality in the EU. It is calculated based on the moving average of 16 sampling events in four years. Bathing water quality is assessed according to standards for microbiological parameters (intestinal Enterococci and Escherichia coli). The Bathing Water Directive (BWD) requires Member States to identify and assess the quality of all inland and marine bathing waters and to classify these waters as ‘poor’, ‘sufficient’, ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ depending on the levels of faecal bacteria detected. The data stem from the European Environment Agency (EEA) and are based on Member States reporting under the BWD.