Cyprus Is the Only EU Country with Absolutely Clean Bathing Waters

On 16 June 2026, the European Union published its annual report, according to which all 123 official bathing areas in the Republic of Cyprus received the highest water quality rating. The island recorded a flawless 100% result, becoming the only country in the EU with such a score.

Key facts from the report by the European Environment Agency:
• Ranking leaders: Cyprus (100%) is followed by Greece (97.1%) and Bulgaria. On average across the EU, 85% of beaches were classified as “excellent”, 96% met the minimum standards, and only 1.5% of water bodies were rated “poor”.
• Inspection volume: Cyprus’s assessment was based on 1,198 water samples. Across Europe, monitoring covered more than 22,200 sites in EU countries, Albania and Switzerland. Coastal seawaters were traditionally found to be cleaner than inland rivers and lakes (88% versus 78%).
• Reasons for success: The European Commission links the high results to strict compliance with the EU Bathing Water Directive, investments in urban wastewater treatment plants, expanded sewerage systems, and monitoring of algae blooms.