The excellent results as regards the quality of Cyprus' bathing waters are very important not only for bathers' health and the environment, but also for the country's economy, which is also linked with tourist activity, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment said in an announcement on the results of the European Commission's Bathing Water Quality for 2023. Noting that Cyprus ranked first in Europe as the country with the cleanest bathing waters in 2023 for the second year in a row, the Ministry said that, according to the results of the European Commission Report for 2023, Cyprus was in compliance with the strictest specifications of the Directive on the Management of the Quality of Bathing Waters and has fulfilled all the obligations arising from it. According to the Ministry, for the 2023 swimming season spanning from May 1 to October 31, 123 bathing water areas throughout the coastal zone of the government-controlled areas of Cyprus were monitored on at least a monthly basis, whil e samples were also collected once before the start of the swimming season. The Ministry referred to the direct relationship between the quality of bathing waters, human health and the environment. 'There is also a direct correlation of the quality of bathing waters with tourism and, therefore, the excellent results are very important not only for bathers' health and the environment but also for Cyprus' economy, which is linked with the quality of our sea and tourist activity', it said. This success 'which honours Cyprus' for the second consecutive year, the press release said, was due to 'the excellent cooperation' of the Environment Department which has overall responsibility for the implementation of the Directive, with the Public Health Services and the State General Laboratory as well as the local government authorities. The Ministry said that the European Commission announced on Tuesday the final results for Europe's bathing water quality, according to which, for the 2023 swimming season, Cyprus rece ived a compliance rate of 97.6%, with 120 out of 123 bathing water areas described as of 'excellent quality'. It added that only three areas have not yet been classified due to a limited number of samples. 'This performance ranks Cyprus in first place in Europe with the cleanest bathing waters', it stated, noting that Austria ranked second place with 96.9% compliance, followed by Croatia with 96.7% and Greece with a 95.8% compliance. The Ministry also said that swimming 'is an extremely popular and important leisure activity in Europe' and that the annual assessment of European bathing areas shows how well environmental protection measures are implemented, allowing citizens to make informed decisions about where to go to enjoy bathing areas in Europe." Source: Cyprus News Agency
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