Brussels, 16 July 1999Commission acts against Portugal and Finland on bathing water
The European Commission has decided to make applications to the European Court of Justice against Portugal and Finland for non-respect of the European Union (EU) Bathing Water Directive. The Commission's decision against Portugal was prompted by Portugal's failure to comply with quality standards for many bathing waters (for example approximately 10,5% of coastal waters and 79% of inland waters were non-compliant during the 1998 bathing season), its failure to monitor in accordance with the Directive, and its failure to apply the Directive to a sufficient number of inland bathing areas. The case against Finland concerns the 1998 non-compliance of 4 bathing waters in the province of Aland with the quality standards of the Directive as well as the failure to monitor these waters in accordance with the Directive.
The Directive (Council Directive 76/160/EEC concerning the quality of bathing water) aims to ensure that bathing waters meet minimum quality criteria by establishing a set of EU standards for a range of key parameters and by requiring Member States to carry out regular water quality monitoring. The Directive is therefore important for public health.
The above decisions reflect the Commission's commitment to ensuring that the necessary legislative and other measures to ensure that bathing waters are protected from pollution are fully established across the European Union.
