Review of the Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC - back to back Evaluation and Impact Assessment
Date: 2023-02-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy



IMMC.Ares%282023%29786140.ENG.xhtml.PART-2023-74848V1.docx














Online public consultation 
                  for the evaluation and impact assessment of the 
Bathing Water Directive




Summary of the results


January 2023
















Disclaimer: This document should be regarded solely as a summary of the contributions made by stakeholders to the online public consultation on the evaluation and impact assessment of the Bathing Water Ddirective. It cannot in any circumstances be regarded as the official position of the Commission or its services. Responses to the consultation activities cannot be considered as a representative sample of the views of the EU population. 







Introduction


The online public consultation (OPC) for the evaluation and impact assessment of the Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) gathered the views of EU citizens and stakeholders on the current status of implementation and on the performance of the Directive so far in achieving its objectives, as well as on what might need to be improved in the future. The public consultation is one of several consultation activities carried out for the evaluation and impact assessment of the Directive, along with a targeted survey of Member State authorities, interviews and stakeholder workshops.


This factual summary of the public consultation briefly describes the participation in the survey and provides an overview of the results. A full analysis of the results will be carried out in the context of the evaluation and impact assessment. 


Approach to the public consultation


The online public consultation was made available to the general public via the EU’s ‘Have your say’ portal
                  1
. The publication was open for 12 weeks, from 28 October 2021 to 20 January 2022. The questionnaire was split into three parts. In the first one, the participants were asked to identify the stakeholder group that they consider themselves to belong to, their country of origin, as well as whether they wished their name to remain anonymous (organisation names are published). The second part contained general questions aimed at all respondents. The third part asked more technical questions aimed at practitioners who work with the Bathing Water Directive. Participants were given the choice as to whether they wished to respond to one or both parts. 


Participants were asked closed questions, with either sliding scales to show agreement with statements, a set of options, or simple yes and no responses. Where relevant, participants were offered the opportunity to explain their response in a free text box – this was possible for 12 of the 50 questions. 


Responses to the public consultation


There were 388 responses to the public consultation received within the deadline
                  2
.   


During analysis of responses, a campaign of 38 responses was identified (10% of responses received). As per the Commission’s Better Regulation Guidelines and Toolbox
                  3
, responses identified as being part of the campaign were analysed separately. 


Figure 1: Respondents to public consultation by stakeholder group (N= 388)









The largest portion of respondents were EU citizens (57%), followed by public authorities (24%). Other stakeholder groups represented were: NGOs (4.4%), company/business organisations (3.4%), academic/research institutions (2.1%), environmental organisations (1.3%), business associations (1%), non-EU citizens (0.8%), a trade union (0.3%), a consumer organisation (0.3%) and a further 5.4% of respondents defining themselves as ‘other’ (see Figure 1). Many of these ‘other’ respondents fit into one of the other categories: reassigned when other information provided (such as the name of an individual or an organisation) make it clear that they belong to another category.


Almost all responses to the consultation were received from respondents originating from EU Member States; there were three responses from the USA and 1 response from Chile. 


The Member State from which most responses originated was France (48.2%). This was followed by Spain (11.9%), Ireland (6.7%), Germany (6.4%), Hungary (4.4%), Belgium (2.8%), Portugal (2.6%) and Netherlands (2.6%): for each of these Member States, at least 10 responses were received. The full list of countries of origin and the numbers of responses from each are shown in Figure 2 below. 


Concerning the two parts of the survey, 56% of respondents (219) chose to respond to both parts, with the other 44% (169 respondents) responding only to the first, general, part of the survey. 


Figure 2: Respondents to public consultation by country of origin (N= 388)







Figure 2 shows the breakdown by stakeholder group of participants who responded to the technical part of the survey (Part III). Whilst EU citizens were still the largest stakeholder group, they made up a smaller share than when looking at all responses to the questionnaire as a whole (45% of respondents, or 99 respondents). The share of public authorities in respondents to Part III was 30.6%, NGOs 5.5% and company/business organisations 5%. 


In comparing Figures 3 and 4, it can be noted that not all respondents answering Part II also answered Part III: in fact, this was true for all categories of organisations except for business associations, trade unions and consumer organisations (these three categories had few respondents). 


Figure 3: Respondents to technical section (Part III) of public consultation by stakeholder group (N=219)


 





Figure 4: Respondents to technical section (Part III) of public consultation by country of origin (N=219)









Position papers or other additional documents were received from 19 OPC respondents. 


In addition, five submissions were received outside of the OPC, including submissions received after its closing deadline. These submissions were received from two public authorities (both regional governments, one in Germany and the other in Spain), one member of the Irish national parliament, one EU-wide association and one EU citizen. 








General part of the OPC


As noted in the Introduction above, there were 388 responses to the public consultation overall and to the general part of the questionnaire. During the analysis of responses, a campaign of 38 responses was identified; these responses are listed separately in the tables in this section. 


Visits to bathing water sites


Almost half of all respondents (48%) indicated that they visit bathing sites all year long, and more than half of EU citizens (56%) responding to the OPC indicated that they do so (Table 1). 


Table 1: OPC Q2: At what times of the year do you go to a bathing site – whether at sea or at a lake, a pond or a river? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




All year long (as long as the meteorological and hydrological conditions allow)




During more than one season of the year




In one season (e.g. in the summer)




Never






Academic/research institution




13%




1




38%




3




50%




4












Business association




75%




3










25%




1












Company/business organisation




29%




4




29%




4




36%




5




7%




1






Consumer organisation










100%




1


















Environmental organisation




80%




4










20%




1












EU citizen




56%




105




24%




45




19%




36




1%




1






Non-EU citizen




100%




3
























Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




53%




9




24%




4




24%




4












Other




77%




10




8%




1




15%




2












Public authority




29%




28




14%




14




54%




52




3%




3






Trade union




100%




1
























Total




48%




168




21%




72




30%




105




1%




5






Campaign




79%




30




21%




8


















Over half of respondents (54%) indicated that they go to a bathing site more than 30 times a year (Table 2). Over half of all categories of respondents, except respondents from academic/research institutions and public authorities, indicated that they go to a bathing site more than 30 times a year.



Table 2: OPC Q3: How often during the year do you go to a bathing site – whether at sea or at a lake, a pond or a river? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




More than 30 times a year




Between 5 and 30 times a year




Up to 5 times a year




Never






Academic/research institution




13%




1




50%




4




38%




3












Business association




50%




2




50%




2


















Company/business organisation




50%




7




29%




4




14%




2




7%




1






Consumer organisation










100%




1


















Environmental organisation




60%




3




40%




2


















EU citizen




60%




113




32%




60




7%




13




1%




1






Non-EU citizen




67%




2




33%




1


















Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




76%




13




24%




4


















Other




62%




8




31%




4




8%




1












Public authority




40%




39




38%




37




18%




17




4%




4






Trade union




100%




1
























Total




54%




189




34%




119




10%




36




2%




6






Campaign




82%




31




18%




7


















When asked where they visited bathing sites, more than 50% of the respondents indicated that they did so (Table 3):


·In their place of residence (village, town, city) – local user (78%)


·At a location in another EU country that they travel to specifically for bathing – EU (59%)


·At a location in my country that they travel to specifically for bathing – domestic tourist (57%)


(Respondents could chose more than one answer).


Over half of respondents (53%) visited bathing sites to bathe only in the summer (Table 4). In addition, one-third (33%) visited bathing sites to bathe all year round. In addition, 17% of respondents visited sites to do water sports only in the summer, and 39% visited sites to do water sports all year round. (Respondents could chose more than one answer).








Table 3: OPC Q4: Where do you visit a bathing site – whether at sea or at a lake, a pond or a river? (Please select one or more answers as relevant) (N=350)





Stakeholder group




In my place of residence (village, town, city) – local user




At a location in my country that I travel to specifically for bathing – domestic tourist




At a location in another EU country that I travel to specifically for bathing – EU




At a location in another EU country where I travel for bathing and also for other tourism purposes – EU tourist




At a location outside the EU – international tourist




None of the above




Number of respondents






Academic/research institution




63%




5




88%




7




88%




7




38%




3




25%




2










8






Business association




75%




3




50%




2




50%




2




50%




2




25%




1




25%




1




4






Company/business organisation




57%




8




57%




8




57%




8




29%




4




14%




2




14%




2




14






Consumer organisation




100%




1




100%




1




100%




1




100%




1




100%




1










1






Environmental organisation




100%




5




60%




3




60%




3




20%




1




40%




2










5






EU citizen




83%




156




59%




110




61%




115




34%




64




21%




40




1%




1




187






Non-EU citizen




100%




3




67%




2




67%




2










33%




1










3






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




82%




14




88%




15




94%




16




71%




12




41%




7










17






Other




77%




10




54%




7




54%




7




23%




3




8%




1










13






Public authority




69%




67




44%




43




46%




45




19%




18




4%




4




10%




10




97






Trade union




100%




1




100%




1




100%




1




100%




1




100%




1










1






Total




78%




273




57%




199




59%




207




31%




109




18%




62




4%




14




350






Campaign




95%




36




89%




34




89%




34




82%




31




68%




26










38










Table 4: OPC Q5: Why do you go to the beach or a bathing site? (Please select one or more answers as relevant) (N=350)





Stakeholder group




To bathe – only in summer




To do water sports – only in summer




To bathe - all year round




To do water sports – all year round




To sunbathe




For recreation (e.g. jogging, volleyball)




To take a walk




To socialise




I don't visit bathing sites




Other




No. of respondents






Academic/research institution




75%




6




25%




2




13%




1




25%




2




13%




1




13%




1




88%




7




13%




1
















8






Business association




25%




1




25%




1




75%




3




75%




3




50%




2




50%




2




50%




2




50%




2










25%




1




4






Company/business organisation




64%




9




36%




5




21%




3




29%




4




50%




7




36%




5




57%




8










7%




1




7%




1




14






Consumer organisation










100%




1










100%




1








































1






Environmental organisation




20%




1










60%




3




80%




4










20%




1




60%




3




40%




2










20%




1




5






EU citizen




51%




95




17%




31




40%




74




50%




93




34%




63




30%




57




66%




124




16%




30










3%




6




187






Non-EU citizen
















67%




2




67%




2




67%




2




67%




2




100%




3




67%




2
















3






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




35%




6




24%




4




41%




7




59%




10




53%




9




59%




10




59%




10




41%




7










24%




4




17






Other




38%




5




15%




2




54%




7




54%




7




23%




3




31%




4




85%




11




31%




4










15%




2




13






Public authority




64%




62




13%




13




18%




17




11%




11




23%




22




25%




24




42%




41




15%




15




3%




3




21%




20




97






Trade union




100%




1




100%




1
















100%




1




100%




1




100%




1






















1






Total




53%




186




17%




60




33%




117




39%




137




31%




110




31%




107




60%




210




18%




63




1%




4




10%




35




350






Campaign




8%




3










82%




31




95%




36




18%




7




37%




14




45%




17




18%




7
















38







Views on bathing water quality



The water quality of the bathing site is very important for 84% of all respondents and for over 70% of the respondents in each stakeholder group (Table 5). 



Table 5: OPC Q6: How important for you is the water quality of the bathing site? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Very important




Important




Moderately important




Of little importance






Academic/research institution




100%




8
























Business association




100%




4
























Company/business organisation




86%




12




7%




1










7%




1






Consumer organisation










100%




1


















Environmental organisation




100%




5
























EU citizen




88%




164




10%




18




2%




4




1%




1






Non-EU citizen




100%




3
























Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




71%




12




12%




2




12%




2




6%




1






Other




77%




10




15%




2




8%




1












Public authority




76%




74




24%




23


















Trade union




100%




1
























Total




84%




293




13%




47




2%




7




1%




3






Campaign




97%




37




3%




1


















Water quality is very important for holiday destinations for 61% of respondents, and important for a further 21% (Table 6).


Table 6: OPC Q7: How important is the water quality of bathing site at the destination for your decision where to go on holidays? (N=350)







Stakeholder group




Very important




Important




Moderately important




Of little importance




Unimportant




No opinion






Academic/research institution




38%




3




50%




4










13%




1


















Business association




75%




3




























25%




1






Company/business organisation




57%




8




21%




3










7%




1




14%




2




0%









Consumer organisation










100%




1






























Environmental organisation




80%




4










20%




1
























EU citizen




66%




124




18%




34




12%




22




2%




3




1%




2




1%




2






Non-EU citizen




100%




3




































Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




59%




10




24%




4




12%




2




6%




1


















Other




46%




6




23%




3




23%




3
















8%




1






Public authority




53%




51




25%




24




15%




15




2%




2




2%




2




3%




3






Trade union




100%




1




































Total




61%




213




21%




73




12%




43




2%




8




2%




6




2%




7






Campaign




87%




33




13%




5































Information sources for bathing water quality


When checking information on water quality (Table 7), two-thirds of respondents go to information available at the site, and half use national sources. Bathing water profiles were used by 31% of respondents, while EU-level sources were used by fewer respondents. (Respondents could choose more than one answer.)




Table 7: OPC Q8: How do you check the water quality of beaches/bathing sites? (Please select one or more answers as relevant) (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Interactive map on EEA website




Annual report on the bathing water quality in the EU on EEA website




EU information portals (EEA website, Europa Website for Water)




National sources e.g. government website dedicated to the quality of bathing water




Information available directly at the beach




Bathing water profiles




Local and national media




Information available at Blue Flag




I don’t check it




Other




No. of respon-dents






Academic/research institution




38%




3




5%




1










25%




5




30%




6




5%




1




20%




4






















8






Business association




50%




2




11%




2




11%




2




16%




3




16%




3




16%




3




11%




2




11%




2
















4






Company/business organisation




36%




5




8%




4




6%




3




21%




10




23%




11




13%




6




4%




2




8%




4




4%




2




2%




1




14






Consumer organisation




























50%




1










50%




1






















1






Environmental organisation




40%




2




13%




2




13%




2




6%




1




19%




3




19%




3




6%




1




6%




1




6%




1










5






EU citizen




13%




25




5%




21




1%




6




18%




81




26%




116




11%




47




19%




85




7%




33




5%




23




2%




10




187






Non-EU citizen




























14%




1




14%




1




29%




2




29%




2










14%




1




3






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




24%




4




4%




3




6%




4




17%




12




20%




14




8%




6




17%




12




18%




13




1%




1




3%




2




17






Other




15%




2




10%




4




5%




2




17%




7




22%




9




15%




6




15%




6




5%




2










7%




3




13






Public authority




14%




14




6%




15




4%




11




22%




55




26%




65




14%




35




10%




24




5%




13




3%




7




3%




8




97






Trade union




100%




1






















33%




1




33%




1




























1






Total




17%




58




15%




52




9%




30




50%




174




66%




230




31%




109




40%




139




20%




70




10%




34




7%




25




350






Campaign




11%




4




13%




5




8%




3




42%




16




87%




33




32%




12




68%




26




8%




3




5%




2




18%




7




38





While one-third of all respondents indicated that they were highly knowledgeable about the Bathing Water Directive (though only 14% of EU citizens chose this response), 35% only had some familiarity and 17% were unsure what it does, and 15% were not familiar at all with the BWD (Table 8).




Table 8: OPC Q9: How familiar are you with the Bathing Water Directive? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




I have heard of it but unsure what it does




Some familiarity with the Directive and its provisions




Highly knowledgeable about the Directive and its provisions




Not familiar at all






Academic/research institution










63%




5




38%




3












Business association










25%




1




75%




3












Company/business organisation




7%




1




43%




6




50%




7












Consumer organisation










100%




1


















Environmental organisation




20%




1




20%




1




60%




3












EU citizen




25%




46




37%




70




14%




26




24%




45






Non-EU citizen










67%




2










33%




1






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




6%




1




47%




8




35%




6




12%




2






Other










38%




5




62%




8












Public authority




9%




9




24%




23




63%




61




4%




4






Trade union










100%




1


















Total




17%




58




35%




123




33%




117




15%




52






Campaign




21%




8




32%




12




29%




11




18%




7






Almost half of respondents (46%) considered the information on water quality provided by national or regional authorities that manage bathing sites to be timely and regularly updated (though 30% of EU citizens were of this opinion). A further 20% of all respondents (and 23% of EU citizens) felt that this was the case to some extent (Table 9). 


Table 9: OPC Q10: In general, do you consider the information on water quality provided by national or regional authorities that manage bathing sites to be timely and regularly updated? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Yes




To some extent




No




Don’t know






Academic/research institution




50%




4




38%




3




13%




1












Business association




50%




2










25%




1




25%




1






Company/business organisation




43%




6




21%




3




36%




5












Consumer organisation






















100%




1






Environmental organisation




40%




2










40%




2




20%




1






EU citizen




30%




56




23%




43




24%




45




23%




43






Non-EU citizen




33%




1










67%




2












Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




29%




5




41%




7




12%




2




18%




3






Other




54%




7




38%




5










8%




1






Public authority




81%




79




9%




9




3%




3




6%




6






Trade union






















100%




1






Total




46%




162




20%




70




17%




61




16%




57






Campaign










3%




1




92%




35




5%




2






Concerning EEA’s annual report on bathing water, 37% of all respondents (and 27% of EU citizens) considered its information to be useful (Table 10). A further 13% of all respondents and 11% of EU citizens considered its information to be useful to some extent. Almost half of all respondents (48%) were either not familiar or not aware of the report. 




Table 10: OPC Q11: Do you consider the information provided in the Annual report on the bathing water quality in the EU on the EEA website to be useful? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Yes




To some extent




No




I’m not familiar with it




I’m not aware of it






Academic/research institution




38%




3




38%




3










25%




2












Business association




50%




2
















50%




2












Company/business organisation




14%




2




43%




6




7%




1




36%




5












Consumer organisation






















100%




1












Environmental organisation




40%




2




20%




1










40%




2












EU citizen




27%




51




11%




21




2%




3




39%




73




21%




39






Non-EU citizen






















33%




1




67%




2






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




53%




9




18%




3










12%




2




18%




3






Other




54%




7




23%




3










15%




2




8%




1






Public authority




56%




54




7%




7




2%




2




27%




26




8%




8






Trade union




100%




1






























Total




37%




131




13%




44




2%




6




33%




116




15%




53






Campaign










87%




33




5%




2




5%




2




3%




1






For all respondents, 39% found the interactive map on the EEA website to be useful, and a further 9% to be useful to some extent (Table 11). Almost half of all respondents (49%) were not familiar or not aware of the map, as were 61% of EU citizens.


Table 11: OPC Q12: Do you consider the information provided about the bathing water quality on the interactive map on the EEA website to be useful? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Yes




To some extent




No




I’m not familiar with it




I’m not aware of it






Academic/research institution




38%




3




38%




3










25%




2












Business association




25%




1




25%




1










50%




2












Company/business organisation




50%




7




29%




4










21%




3












Consumer organisation






















100%




1












Environmental organisation




40%




2




20%




1










40%




2












EU citizen




29%




55




9%




16




2%




3




37%




69




24%




44






Non-EU citizen






















33%




1




67%




2






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




47%




8




18%




3




12%




2




12%




2




12%




2






Other




38%




5




15%




2




8%




1




23%




3




15%




2






Public authority




58%




56




3%




3




2%




2




24%




23




13%




13






Trade union




100%




1






























Total




39%




138




9%




33




2%




8




31%




108




18%




63






Campaign










92%




35










3%




1




5%




2






In total, 75% of all respondents and 60% of EU citizens responding to the OPC knew what bathing water profiles are (Table 12). 


Table 12: OPC Q13: Do you know what bathing water profiles are? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Yes




No






Academic/research institution




63%




5




38%




3






Business association




75%




3




25%




1






Company/business organisation




93%




13




7%




1






Consumer organisation




100%




1












Environmental organisation




100%




5












EU citizen




60%




112




40%




75






Non-EU citizen




67%




2




33%




1






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




71%




12




29%




5






Other




100%




13












Public authority




98%




95




2%




2






Trade union




100%




1












Total




75%




262




25%




88






Campaign




89%




34




11%




4






Over half of all respondents (57%) had consulted an online bathing water profile for information about a specific bathing site (Table 13). For EU citizens responding to the OPC, 44% had consulted an online bathing water profile.



Table 13: OPC Q14: Bathing water profiles and the potential impacts and threats to water quality, both as an information for citizens and as a management tool for the responsible authorities. Have you ever consulted a bathing water profile available online to gain more information about a specific bathing site? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Yes




No






Academic/research institution




50%




4




50%




4






Business association




50%




2




50%




2






Company/business organisation




79%




11




21%




3






Consumer organisation










100%




1






Environmental organisation




60%




3




40%




2






EU citizen




44%




83




56%




104






Non-EU citizen




33%




1




67%




2






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




65%




11




35%




6






Other




54%




7




46%




6






Public authority




78%




76




22%




21






Trade union




100%




1












Total




57%




199




43%




151






Campaign




89%




34




11%




4






Over half (57%) of respondents who consulted bathing water profiles found the information clear and understandable and useful, but less than half found the information complete, up to date or easily accessible (Figure 5).


Figure 5: OPC Q16: If you consulted a bathing water profile, have you found the information presented therein as: (N=199)



When asked about the accuracy of information on bathing water quality available through different sources (Figure 6), over 50% of respondents were very satisfied or satisfied with the information on national websites and with the information available directly at the beach. Less than half of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied by other sources, though about 40% of respondents were not aware of several EU and international sources (EEA interactive map, annual report, EU information profiles and the Blue Flag website). 




Figure 6: OPC Q18: How satisfied are you with the accuracy of the information on bathing water quality available through the following sources? (N=350)




Public consultation on the identification of bathing sites


For all respondents, 15% indicated that they had participated in a public consultation on the identification of bathing sites in their country (Table 14).


Table 14: OPC Q17: Have you ever participated in a public consultation regarding the identification of bathing sites in your country? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Yes




No






Academic/research institution




13%




1




88%




7






Business association




50%




2




50%




2






Company/business organisation




7%




1




93%




13






Consumer organisation










100%




1






Environmental organisation




20%




1




80%




4






EU citizen




6%




11




94%




176






Non-EU citizen










100%




3






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




24%




4




76%




13






Other




31%




4




69%




9






Public authority




29%




28




71%




69






Trade union










100%




1






Total




15%




52




85%




298






Campaign










100%




38






Information on management measures


When asked about national/local measures to improve bathing water quality, 17% of all respondents indicated that they were very well informed and 26% that they were well informed, and 36% that they were a little informed (Table 15). 


Table 15: OPC Q18: Do you know what measures your national/local authorities take to improve the quality of bathing water? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Very well informed




Well informed




A little informed




Not informed




No opinion






Academic/research institution




13%




1




63%




5




13%




1










13%




1






Business association










25%




1




50%




2










25%




1






Company/business organisation




7%




1




29%




4




57%




8




7%




1












Consumer organisation










100%




1
























Environmental organisation




40%




2




20%




1




20%




1




20%




1












EU citizen




5%




10




19%




35




47%




87




28%




53




1%




2






Non-EU citizen
















100%




3


















Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




12%




2




29%




5




29%




5




29%




5












Other




23%




3




15%




2




31%




4




23%




3




8%




1






Public authority




42%




41




38%




37




15%




15




3%




3




1%




1






Trade union




100%




1






























Total




17%




61




26%




91




36%




126




19%




66




2%




6






Campaign










3%




1




89%




34




8%




3












Protection/safety across Europe


While 23% of all respondents felt that the BWD had ensured the same level of protection/safety for everyone and everywhere in Europe, 43% felt that it had not, and 35% had no opinion (Table 16). 


Table 16: OPC Q19: In your opinion, has the Bathing Water Directive ensured the same level of protection/safety for everyone and everywhere in Europe? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Yes




No




No opinion






Academic/research institution




63%




5




25%




2




13%




1






Business association




50%




2




25%




1




25%




1






Company/business organisation




21%




3




64%




9




14%




2






Consumer organisation




100%




1




0%















Environmental organisation




20%




1




60%




3




20%




1






EU citizen




13%




24




51%




96




36%




67






Non-EU citizen










33%




1




67%




2






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




29%




5




35%




6




35%




6






Other




23%




3




38%




5




38%




5






Public authority




36%




35




27%




26




37%




36






Trade union
















100%




1






Total




23%




79




43%




149




35%




122






Campaign










100%




38













Respondents were asked about the importance of different aspects to be considered if bathing waters are safe (Figure 7). Aspects that over 50% of respondents considered very important included:




·Presence of faecal bacteria/virus/parasites/algae


·Dangerous chemical substances


·Floatables such as tarry residues, wood, plastic articles, bottles, containers, glass


·Odour


·Beach litter


·Cleanliness of the sand


·Information about bathing water quality available at the bathing site


·Information about bathing water quality available online


·Early warning system (in case of short-term pollution or water rise)


·Public toilets with controlled sewage disposal


·Monitoring of the quality of bathing water also outside the bathing season




Figure 7: OPC Q20: How important are, in your opinion, the following aspects when considering if bathing waters are safe for bathing? (N=350)



Management measures


When asked to assess the management of bathing sites in the EU, in particular regarding pollution management measures, 25% of all respondents indicated it was satisfactory, 25% that it could be improved, 25% indicated it was not satisfactory, and 25% were of no opinion (Table 17). 


Table 17: OPC Q21: How would you assess the management of bathing sites in the EU, in particular regarding pollution management measures? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Satisfactory




Not satisfactory




Could be improved




No opinion






Academic/research institution










13%




1




75%




6




13%




1






Business association




50%




2




25%




1




25%




1












Company/business organisation




14%




2




7%




1




64%




9




14%




2






Consumer organisation




100%




1
























Environmental organisation




20%




1




40%




2




40%




2












EU citizen




13%




25




35%




66




25%




47




26%




49






Non-EU citizen










33%




1










67%




2






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




18%




3




29%




5




29%




5




24%




4






Other




23%




3




31%




4




31%




4




15%




2






Public authority




52%




50




7%




7




15%




15




26%




25






Trade union






















100%




1






Total




25%




87




25%




88




25%




89




25%




86






Campaign










8%




3




89%




34




3%




1








Scenario without the BWD


When asked what would happen if the Bathing Water Directive were repealed, 47% of all respondents thought that the quality of bathing water in their Member State would deteriorate and 23% thought they would have less or no information on the quality of bathing water (Table 18).


Table 18: OPC Q22: What would happen if the Bathing Water Directive were repealed? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Nothing, all will be the same




Quality of bathing water in my Member State will deteriorate




Quality of bathing water in my Member State will improve




I would have less or no information on the quality of the bathing water




Don’t know






Academic/research institution










50%




4










38%




3




13%




1






Business association










50%




2










25%




1




25%




1






Company/business organisation




14%




2




71%




10










14%




2












Consumer organisation






















100%




1












Environmental organisation




20%




1




60%




3










20%




1












EU citizen




3%




5




47%




88




4%




7




22%




41




25%




46






Non-EU citizen










33%




1
















67%




2






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)










59%




10




6%




1




6%




1




29%




5






Other










69%




9




8%




1




15%




2




8%




1






Public authority




16%




16




38%




37




2%




2




29%




28




14%




14






Trade union










100%




1
























Total




7%




24




47%




165




3%




11




23%




80




20%




70






Campaign










92%




35










3%




1




5%




2







Bathing options



When asked if they wished more bathing options, between 30% and 44% of respondents were in favour of the following options (Table 19):



·More natural bathing sites in the cities (44%)
                     


·More bathing sites at rivers (39%)
                     


·More bathing sites at lakes (37%)
                     


·More bathing sites at the seaside (33%)
                     


·Bathing season lasting the whole year (30%)
                     


·Bathing sites monitored throughout the year (42%)



(Respondents could choose more than one option.)



Table 19: OPC Q23: Would you like to have more bathing options than today? (Please select one or more answers as relevant) (N=350)







Stakeholder group




More natural bathing sites in the cities




More bathing sites at rivers




More bathing sites at lakes




More bathing sites at the seaside




Bathing season lasting the whole year




Bathing sites monitored throughout the year




Other




Number of respondents






Academic/research institution




50%




4




88%




7




63%




5




38%




3




13%




1




50%




4










8






Business association




50%




2




50%




2




50%




2




50%




2




25%




1




50%




2




25%




1




4






Company/business organisation




43%




6




57%




8




57%




8




50%




7




43%




6




71%




10




7%




1




14






Consumer organisation




100%




1








































1






Environmental organisation




100%




5




40%




2




40%




2




60%




3




60%




3




80%




4










5






EU citizen




47%




88




41%




77




35%




66




36%




67




37%




69




45%




84




14%




27




187






Non-EU citizen




33%




1




33%




1




33%




1




33%




1










67%




2










3






Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




82%




14




59%




10




76%




13




71%




12




53%




9




53%




9




18%




3




17






Other




46%




6




62%




8




46%




6




38%




5




15%




2




54%




7




8%




1




13






Public authority




29%




28




24%




23




29%




28




16%




16




13%




13




24%




23




22%




21




97






Trade union


































100%




1










1






Total




44%




155




39%




138




37%




131




33%




116




30%




104




42%




146




15%




54




350






Campaign




84%




32




89%




34




89%




34




84%




32




74%




28




92%




35




84%




32




38






Blue Flag Programme



Two-thirds of respondents indicated that they were familiar with the Blue Flag Programme (Table 20). 




Table 20: OPC Q24: Are you familiar with the Blue Flag Programme? (N=350)





Stakeholder group




Yes




No






Academic/research institution




63%




5




38%




3






Business association




100%




4












Company/business organisation




71%




10




29%




4






Consumer organisation




100%




1












Environmental organisation




80%




4




20%




1






EU citizen




67%




125




33%




62






Non-EU citizen




100%




3












Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




76%




13




24%




4






Other




85%




11




15%




2






Public authority




60%




58




40%




39






Trade union




100%




1












Total




67%




235




33%




115






Campaign




95%




36




5%




2







Technical Part of the OPC


There were 219 responses to the technical part of the OPC (Part III), of which 33 were identified as a campaign. Please note that not all respondents answered all the questions (the number of respondents is indicated for each question). 


Benefits of the Directive


In the technical part of the OPC, respondents were first asked about potential benefits of the BWD. Large shares of respondents identified the following benefits (Table 21):


·Health and well-being of bathing sites users and local community in general (identified by 96% of respondents); and


·Environment improvement (improved water quality and the health of water ecosystem) (identified by 84%).


Other types of benefits identified by 50% or more of respondents were:


·Stimulation of tourism and financial benefit to communities based on tourism activities (67%);


·Well-being of bathing sites users and local community in general (65%);




·Recreation opportunities (54%);


·Satisfaction of knowing that future generation will have access to nature’s benefits (52%); 


·Education and research (Datasets gathered over the years allow for the analysis of trends) (50%).


(Respondents could select more than one answer.)





Table 21: OPC Q26: What do you think are the benefits linked to the identification, monitoring, classification and management of bathing waters? (Please select one or more answers as relevant) (N=186)





Stakeholder group




Health and well-being of bathing sites users and local community in general




Environment improvement (improved water quality and the health of water ecosystem)




Recreation opportunities




Spiritual and cultural benefits




Well-being of bathing sites users and local community in general




Stimulation of tourism and financial benefit to communities based on tourism activities




Education and research (Datasets gathered over the years allow for the analysis of trends)




Satisfaction of knowing that future generation will have access to nature’s benefits




Other




No. of respondents






Academic/research institution




100%




5




100%




5




80%




4




20%




1




60%




3




80%




4




60%




3




60%




3




20%




1




5






Business association




75%




3




75%




3




75%




3




50%




2




75%




3




75%




3




50%




2




50%




2










4






Company/business organisation




92%




11




75%




9




75%




9




17%




2




58%




7




83%




10




50%




6




58%




7




8%




1




12






Consumer organisation




100%




1




100%




1
















100%




1




100%




1




100%




1




100%




1










1






Environmental organisation




100%




3




100%




3




33%




1




33%




1




33%




1




67%




2










33%




1










3






EU citizen




99%




67




85%




58




40%




27




15%




10




54%




37




56%




38




46%




31




54%




37




3%




2




68






Non-EU citizen































































Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




100%




12




92%




11




67%




8




25%




3




92%




11




83%




10




83%




10




58%




7




8%




1




12






Other




100%




11




100%




11




45%




5




27%




3




64%




7




91%




10




55%




6




55%




6




18%




2




11






Public authority




94%




65




78%




54




61%




42




17%




12




72%




50




67%




46




48%




33




45%




31




4%




3




69






Trade union




100%




1




100%




1




100%




1










100%




1




100%




1




100%




1




100%




1










1






Total




96%




179




84%




156




54%




100




18%




34




65%




121




67%




125




50%




93




52%




96




5%




10




186






Campaign




100%




33




97%




32




82%




27




12%




4




21%




7




12%




4




18%




6




94%




31




70%




23




33








At least 60% of respondents considered that the BWD’s requirements regarding monitoring of bathing waters, classification of bathing waters and management of bathing waters all provided a strong contribution to the protection of human health (Figure 8). Just under 50% considered that the identification of bathing waters did so.



Figure 8: OPC Q27: In your opinion, how do the following, current requirements regarding identification, monitoring, classification and management of bathing waters contribute to the protection of human health? (N=190)




When asked if the monitoring of the two faecal bacteria parameters (E. coli and Intestinal enterococci) provides sufficient protection of human health, 40% of all respondents indicated that these parameters were not enough, while 30% indicated that they could be improved (Table 22). 


Table 22: OPC Q28: Is monitoring of the two faecal bacteria parameters (E. coli and Intestinal enterococci) on which current bathing water classification is based, enough in your opinion to assure a sufficient protection of human health? (N=186)





Stakeholder group




Enough and satisfactory




Not enough




Could be improved




No opinion






Academic/research institution










50%




4




13%




1












Business association




25%




1




25%




1




50%




2












Company/business organisation




7%




1




43%




6




36%




5












Consumer organisation






















100%




1






Environmental organisation




20%




1




40%




2


















EU citizen




6%




11




20%




37




9%




17




2%




3






Non-EU citizen






























Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




6%




1




18%




3




24%




4




24%




4






Other




15%




2




31%




4




31%




4




8%




1






Public authority




27%




26




18%




17




23%




22




4%




4






Trade union
















100%




1












Total




23%




43




40%




74




30%




56




7%




13






Campaign










97%




32




3%




1















Over 50% of respondents indicated that the BWD had provided intended benefits to a large or to some extent for all 11 categories of benefits indicated in the survey (Figure 9). The benefits that were received the largest numbers of positive responses were those related to health and information.  



Figure 9: OPC Q29: To what extent do you find that the BWD has led to the following (intended) benefits? (N=190)




When asked which sectors have benefitted from the Directive, over 50% of respondents felt that the tourism, hospitality, water treatment, healthcare, public authorities and scientific research sectors had benefited either to a large or to some extent (Figure 10). 






Figure 10: OPC Q30: To what extent has the implementation of the Directive benefitted the following sectors? (N=190)




Costs of implementation


For all respondents, 44% felt that the benefits of the BWD were much greater than the costs, and 12% felt that the benefits were slightly greater than the costs, while 25% respondents that they did not know (Table 23).


Table 23: OPC Q31: In your opinion, how do the costs of implementation of the Directive compare with the benefits brought about by the Directive (e.g. benefits including those listed in the previous question)? (N=186)





Stakeholder group




Benefits much greater than costs




Benefits slightly greater than costs




Costs similar to benefits




Costs slightly greater than benefits




Costs much greater than benefits




Don’t know






Academic/research institution




40%




2




40%




2




20%




1
























Business association




50%




2




25%




1






















25%




1






Company/business organisation




33%




4




17%




2




8%




1




17%




2




8%




1




17%




2






Consumer organisation


































100%




1






Environmental organisation




100%




3




































EU citizen




44%




30




9%




6




15%




10




3%




2




7%




5




22%




15






Non-EU citizen










































Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




50%




6




8%




1






















42%




5






Other




45%




5






















9%




1




45%




5






Public authority




43%




30




14%




10




7%




5




6%




4




6%




4




23%




16






Trade union


































100%




1






Total




44%




82




12%




22




9%




17




4%




8




6%




11




25%




46






Campaign




94%




31










3%




1










3%




1















Concerning different types of monitoring, classification and management costs, over 50% of respondents rated the level of expenditure as very high or high for field monitoring, hydrological monitoring and laboratory activities (Figure 11). 



Figure 11: OPC Q32: Identification, monitoring, classification and management of bathing waters result in costs. How would you rate the level of expenditure for actors involved in the following areas: (N=188)




In terms of which sectors have borne costs due the implementation of the Directive, the water treatment sector and competent public authorities were seen by over 60% of respondents as bearing costs to a large extent or to some extent (Figure 12). For this question, a high share of respondents – over 50% for some sectors – indicated that they did not know. 



Figure 12: OPC Q33: To what extent have the following sectors borne costs (direct and indirect) due to the implementation of the Directive? (N=188)




Simplification


When asked if there is scope for simplifying the requirements and reduce the costs and administrative burden, 53% of respondents indicated that they did not know, while 36% indicated no and 12% responded yes (Table 24). 


Table 24: OPC Q34: Is there scope for simplifying the requirements and reduce the costs and administrative burden? (N=179)





Stakeholder group




Yes




No




Don’t know






Academic/research institution




20%




1




40%




2




40%




2






Business association
















100%




4






Company/business organisation




18%




2




18%




2




64%




7






Consumer organisation
















100%




1






Environmental organisation










67%




2




33%




1






EU citizen




12%




8




32%




21




56%




37






Non-EU citizen
























Non-governmental organisation (NGO)










42%




5




58%




7






Other




9%




1




45%




5




45%




5






Public authority




14%




9




42%




27




45%




29






Trade union
















100%




1






Total




12%




21




36%




64




53%




94






Campaign










84%




27




16%




5







Resources for implementation


When asked if there have been sufficient resources invested to implement the BWD from (respectively) EU, national or other sources, the largest shares of respondents indicated they did not know for each category, followed by those who indicated no (Table 25). 







 


Table 25: OPC Q35: In your view, have there been sufficient resources invested to implement the Bathing Water Directive? (N=188)





Stakeholder group




From EU funding




From national funding




From other funding (including polluters)









Yes




No




Don’t know




Yes




No




Don’t know




Yes




No




Don’t know






Academic/research institution




20%




1










80%




4




25%




1




25%




1




50%




2










40%




2




60%




3






Business association
















100%




4










25%




1




75%




3










50%




2




50%




2






Company/business organisation










50%




6




50%




6










71%




5




29%




2










67%




8




33%




4






Consumer organisation
















100%




1
















100%




1




100%




1


















Environmental organisation




33%




1




67%




2










20%




1




40%




2




40%




2










33%




1




67%




2






EU citizen




10%




7




43%




30




46%




32




10%




9




41%




36




48%




42




3%




2




58%




40




39%




27






Non-EU citizen




























































Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




8%




1




25%




3




67%




8




29%




2




43%




3




29%




2










33%




4




67%




8






Other




18%




2




45%




5




36%




4




9%




1




45%




5




45%




5




9%




1




55%




6




36%




4






Public authority




21%




15




27%




19




51%




36




57%




35




25%




15




18%




11




10%




7




33%




23




57%




40






Trade union
















100%




1
















100%




1
















100%




1






Total




14%




27




35%




65




51%




96




26%




49




36%




68




38%




71




6%




11




46%




86




48%




91






Campaign










100%




34
















100%




34
















100%




34












Pressures on bathing water quality


Concerning the main pressures negatively affecting bathing water quality (Table 26), the largest shares of respondents indicated: improperly collected or treated urban waste water (57%); agriculture run off (56%); and storm water overflows (47%). Respondents could choose up to three answers. 



Table 26: OPC Q36: What are the main pressures affecting negatively the bathing water quality? (please choose up to three answers from the list below) (N=186)





Stakeholder group




Storm water overflows




Agriculture run off (faecal pollution, nutrient surplus, pesticides and other chemicals used in agriculture)




Urban run off




Improperly collected or treated urban waste water




Point source pollution from industrial activities




Other diffuse pollution than from agriculture (Pollution from widespread activities with no one discrete source, e.g. acid rain, diffuse urban run-off, navigation, traffic)




Eutrophication of the water body where bathing site is located




Animals in/on bathing water and beach (dogs, birds)




Lack of water, draught and high temperature




Other




No. of respondents






Academic/research institution




60%




3




80%




4




20%




1




20%




1




20%




1










80%




4










20%




1










5






Business association




50%




2




50%




2




50%




2




75%




3




50%




2


































4






Company/business organisation




67%




8




33%




4




17%




2




33%




4




17%




2




25%




3




33%




4




25%




3




25%




3




17%




2




12






Consumer organisation










100%




1
















100%




1






















100%




1










1






Environmental organisation




33%




1




67%




2




67%




2




100%




3


































33%




1




3






EU citizen




40%




27




71%




48




29%




20




56%




38




28%




19




25%




17




22%




15




4%




3




18%




12




4%




3




68






Non-EU citizen





































































Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




42%




5




58%




7




17%




2




42%




5




58%




7




8%




1




17%




2










33%




4




8%




1




12






Other




36%




4




64%




7




9%




1




82%




9




36%




4




36%




4










9%




1




9%




1




9%




1




11






Public authority




55%




38




42%




29




35%




24




61%




42




14%




10




10%




7




30%




21




25%




17




19%




13




4%




3




69






Trade union






















100%




1










100%




1










100%




1
















1






Total




47%




88




56%




104




29%




54




57%




106




25%




46




18%




33




25%




46




13%




25




19%




35




6%




11




186






Campaign




6%




2




12%




4




91%




30




91%




30




6%




2




6%




2






















85%




28




33






 



New and emerging issues and water safety planning


When asked if the BWD has been flexible enough to respond to new and emerging issues – specifically: swimmer’s itch, antimicrobial resistance, microplastics, and pharmaceuticals and other substances of emerging concern – the largest shares of respondents indicated no, followed by those who replied ‘don’t know’ (Figure 13). 


Figure 13: OPC Q37: Has the Bathing Water Directive been flexible enough to respond to the following new and emerging issues? (N=188)




Concerning WHO’s call for health-based targets for recreational water bodies, 46% of respondents indicated that such targets should be set at EU level and 25% at national level, while 19% indicated that they did not know (Table 27). 




Table 27: OPC Q38: The WHO’s new Guidelines on Safe Recreational Water Quality call for health-based targets for recreational water bodies. Do you think that such targets should be: (N=186)





Stakeholder group




Set at EU level




Set at national level




Other




Don’t know






Academic/research institution




40%




2




20%




1




20%




1




20%




1






Business association




25%




1




25%




1




25%




1




25%




1






Company/business organisation




50%




6




25%




3




8%




1




17%




2






Consumer organisation
















100%




1












Environmental organisation




33%




1










33%




1




33%




1






EU citizen




51%




35




24%




16




4%




3




21%




14






Non-EU citizen






























Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




42%




5




8%




1




42%




5




8%




1






Other




82%




9










9%




1




9%




1






Public authority




39%




27




35%




24




7%




5




19%




13






Trade union






















100%




1






Total




46%




86




25%




46




10%




19




19%




35






Campaign




6%




2










94%




31













For the WHO’s call for the development of recreational water safety plans for priority bathing sites, 41% of respondents said that such plans should be required in EU legislation, 28% that they should be left to Member States, while 25% did not know (Table 28). 


Table 28: OPC Q39: The WHO’s new Guidelines on Safe Recreational Water Quality also call for the development of recreational water safety plans for priority bathing sites. Should such plans be: (N=186)





Stakeholder group




Required in EU legislation




Left to EU Member States to decide




Other




Don’t know






Academic/research institution




40%




2










20%




1




40%




2






Business association




25%




1




25%




1




25%




1




25%




1






Company/business organisation




50%




6




17%




2




8%




1




25%




3






Consumer organisation
















100%




1












Environmental organisation




33%




1










33%




1




33%




1






EU citizen




49%




33




21%




14










31%




21






Non-EU citizen






























Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




42%




5




33%




4




17%




2




8%




1






Other




36%




4




9%




1




18%




2




36%




4






Public authority




36%




25




45%




31




1%




1




17%




12






Trade union






















100%




1






Total




41%




77




28%




53




5%




10




25%




46






Campaign




9%




3










88%




29




3%




1







Concerning the risk elements to be considered in recreational water safety planning, over 60% of respondents identified faecal pollution, harmful algal blooms, other microbial hazards and chemical hazards as very important (Figure 14). Pathogens in beach sand were considered very important by over 50% of respondents. 



Figure 14: OPC Q40: How important, in your opinion, should the following risk elements be in recreational water safety planning? (N=187)




Almost half of respondents (49%) indicated that there are emerging risks or challenges not sufficiently addressed by the Bathing Water Directive, and one-third (33%) indicated that they did not know (Table 29).


Table 29: OPC Q41: Are there emerging risks or challenges not sufficiently addressed by the Bathing Water Directive? (N=186)





Stakeholder group




Yes




No




Don’t know






Academic/research institution




80%




4










20%




1






Business association




75%




3




25%




1












Company/business organisation




58%




7




17%




2




25%




3






Consumer organisation










100%




1












Environmental organisation




67%




2










33%




1






EU citizen




40%




27




24%




16




37%




25






Non-EU citizen
























Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




100%




12


















Other




45%




5




9%




1




45%




5






Public authority




45%




31




19%




13




36%




25






Trade union
















100%




1






Total




49%




91




18%




34




33%




61






Campaign




100%




33



















Coherence with other EU policies


When asked about gaps, overlaps or inconsistencies between the BWD and other EU policies, strategies and initiatives, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and the Water Framework Directive received the highest level of responses. For nearly all the options, however, over 50% of respondents indicated they did not know (Figure 15). 


Figure 15: OPC Q42: In your opinion, are there any significant gaps, overlaps or inconsistencies between the Bathing Water Directive and the following EU policies, strategies and initiatives? (Multiple choice per row) (N=187)






Over 50% of respondents indicated that it is very important to get get stronger mutual support between the Bathing Water Directive and the legislation and policies in the following sectors: water industry, emissions/pollution control, agricultural policies, waste policy (Figure 16). 


Figure 16: OPC Q44: How important is it to get stronger mutual support between the Bathing Water Directive and the legislation and policies in the following sectors? (N=187)




Over 50% of respondents felt that the BWD has been very important or moderately important for strengthening collaboration and cooperation to protect Europe’s bathing waters among Member States, between/with scientific institutions and between/with government bodies responsible for different policies (Figure 17). 


Figure 17: OPC Q46: In your opinion, how important has the Bathing Water Directive been for strengthening collaboration and cooperation to protect Europe’s bathing waters among the following partners? (N=187)





Issues to consider in the possible revision of the BWD


Over 60% of respondents indicated that it is very important to consider WHO Recommendations and Guidelines in a possible revision of the BWD. Over 50% identified the alignment of the BWD’s scope with the European Green Deal, Biodiversity Strategy and Zero Pollution Action Plan to be very important. A revision of BWD requirements regarding Member State management measures was also considered very important by over 50% of respondents (Figure 18). 



Figure 18: OPC Q47: Do you consider the following actions necessary to be considered in a possible revision of the Bathing Water Directive? (N=187)




Reporting under the BWD


Almost 60% of respondents felt that the number of parameters for water sampling should be increased, and just under 50% felt that the number of samples required per bathing season should be increased (Figure 19). 


Figure 19: OPC Q48: In your opinion, should the following aspects of the Bathing Water Directive reporting be increased, maintained or decreased? (N=187)






The ‘sufficient’ classification


45% of respondents felt that the sufficient classification should be maintained, while 31% indicated that they either had no opinion or did not know, and 24% responded no (Table 30). 


Table 30: OPC Q49: Article 14(3) of the Bathing Water Directive requires that the review of the Directive should look into whether it would be appropriate to phase out the ‘sufficient’ classification. Should ‘sufficient’ classification be maintained? (N=186)





Stakeholder group




Yes




No




No opinion




Don’t know






Academic/research institution




20%




1




20%




1




20%




1




40%




2






Business association




75%




3




25%




1


















Company/business organisation




17%




2




42%




5




25%




3




17%




2






Consumer organisation




100%




1
























Environmental organisation










67%




2




33%




1












EU citizen




38%




26




31%




21




21%




14




10%




7






Non-EU citizen






























Non-governmental organisation (NGO)




42%




5




42%




5




17%




2












Other




64%




7




9%




1




9%




1




18%




2






Public authority




55%




38




12%




8




25%




17




9%




6






Trade union




100%




1
























Total




45%




84




24%




44




21%




39




10%




19






Campaign










94%




33




6%




2














Additional documents received 


Participants in the OPC were given the opportunity to submit documents at the end of the survey. 


Position papers or other additional documents were received from 18 OPC respondents. Of these, 6 respondents were from Ireland, 3 each from Belgium and Netherlands, and others from France, Germany, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden. In terms of stakeholder type, 5 respondents identified themselves as public authorities, 4 as NGOs, 4 indicated “other” as their category, 2 as academic/research institutions, and others as business associations, environmental organisations and company/business. 
















(1)
 The webpage for the OPC as well as the prior consultation on the Roadmap and Initial Impact Assessment is available at: 
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12658-Bathing-water-quality-review-of-EU-rules_en
 



(2)
 Once the online public consultation was closed, one response was added following technical problems encountered by the respondent and one response was removed upon the request of a respondent as submitted by mistake. Feedback regarding the Online Public Consultation was also received by email (addressed to the ENV BATHING WATER mailbox) outside the Have your say portal. These responses were considered along with the position papers in the evaluation process.



(3)
 
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-making-process/planning-and-proposing-law/better-regulation-why-and-how/better-regulation-guidelines-and-toolbox_en