WRITTEN QUESTION P-1667/02

by Carlos Carnero González (PSE) to the Commission

(5 June 2002)

Subject: Awarding of blue flags

Each year, as summer approaches, the Spanish media announce that the NGO European Environmental Education Foundation (FEEE) has awarded blue flags to a number of Spanish beaches, an event which always creates confusion amongst the general public as regards the involvement of the European institutions in the awarding of those flags (thereby compromisng the EU's name) and the support and the guarantees provided by the Commission in respect of the scheme.

Will the Commission supply information concerning the relationship between the FEEE and the EU institutions? To what extent is the Commission or any other European institution responsible for the awarding of blue flags, and what criteria are used for the purpose? Does the flying of a blue flag on a beach indicate the provision of safeguards in respect of the quality of bathing water? Has the Commission any scheme for monitoring the quality of EU bathing water?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(3 July 2002)

The Blue Flag Campaign is a project initiated by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE), based in Copenhagen (Denmark). The objective of this campaign is to inform the general public of the quality of beaches in several European countries inside and outside the Union and to increase the environmental awareness of local authorities and tourism operators. FEEE has associated organisations in the participating countries (National Operators) which assess the beaches applying for a Blue Flag. This assessment is made for four major issues, for which both imperative and guideline criteria are established: environmental education and information, environmental management, safety and services, and water quality. As regards the water quality criterion, this is based on the guideline values of Council Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1976, concerning the quality of bathing water(1) (hereafter Bathing Water Directive).

In the past, the Commission participated in the work of the jury of FEEE which takes the final decision to award (or not) a Blue Flag to beaches for which the national juries could not come to a decision and ratifies the decisions of FEEE national operators. FEEE also received financial support from the Commission.

However, the Commission decided in 1998 not to grant financial support for the 1999 Blue Flag campaign. Consequently, there is no participation by the Commission in the jury awarding the Blue Flags. The question of beaches complying with the Blue Flag is the sole responsibility of the FEEE foundation.

The Commission publishes annually its report on bathing water quality in the Union, the latest edition in May 2001. This report is published in all Community languages in print, as well as available on the Internet(2). The making of this report is based on a bi-weekly monitoring scheme of beaches and on quality standards indicated by the Bathing Water Directive.

The Commission is currently preparing a Proposal to the Parliament and the Council for a review of the Bathing Water Directive. New water quality standards, appropriate beach management and monitoring schemes as well as information of the public about bathing water quality will be the main pillars of this proposal.

(1) OJ L 31, 5.2.1976.

(2) http://europa.eu.int/water/water-bathing/report.html.