Cyprus: Bathing waters are cleanest in Europe

Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis has said on Monday following an EU-wide report that Cyprus has the cleanest bathing waters across Europe.

The report showed that 99.1 per cent of bathing waters (including beaches and inland waters) on the island were of excellent quality.

Devised by the European Environment Agency, the report placed the Republic of Cyprus in first place for the proportion of bathing waters with outstanding water quality in Europan countries for 2019.

In second place came Austria with 98.5 per cent, followed by Malta with 97.7 per cent and Greece with 95.7 per cent.

Kadis described how Cyprus's top-tier position is "a direct correlation between the quality of bathing water and tourism".

Image credit: Fine Art America

Further discussing the perks associated with hosting exceptional bathing waters, Kadis also mentioned that the "excellent results are very important not only for the health of bathers and the environment but also the economy of Cyprus, which is linked to the quality of our sea and tourism industry".

More than 21,000 bathing waters are monitored in Europe each holiday season by the European Environment Agency.

In 2019, there were 113 bathing waters assessed in Cyprus of which 112 were classed as excellent.

In response to these figures, Cyprus officials have argued that since the island has joined the EU, its excellent bathing waters have been the direct result of keeping to the strictest guidelines on the directive related to managing bathing water quality.

Similarly, the island's rigorous enforcement of lockdown law has seen the country come out on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic in a much healthier state in comparison to the struggles of other nations, such as England.