As pointed out in the "European Bathing Water Quality in 2021" report, the quality of European bathing waters remains high. The coastal sites are generally of better quality than those located inland - at lakes and rivers. There are still more than 300 bathing waters of poor quality in Europe. The annual data collection process was affected by the UK leaving the Eionet, thus not reporting the 640 national bathing sites.
In the report, we also briefly explain the factors of microbiological quality as well as the management measures to address the pollution. As pointed out, the contemporary bathing water management is oriented also towards managing urban bathing waters with an aim to enable bathing for local population throughout the continent.