According to the latest data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) from May 2024, the Republic of Croatia ranks third in Europe in terms of the proportion of bathing sites with excellent sea and bathing water quality in 2023, behind Cyprus and Austria. Among EU member states with access to European seas, Croatia ranks second, right after Cyprus. These results are indicators of long-term continuous management of sea and bathing water quality and the preservation of the marine environment.

Bathing season in Croatia
The bathing season in Croatia officially started on June 1st and will last until September 15th this year. During this period, laboratories of county public health institutes in seven coastal counties will conduct ten cycles of sea water quality testing at 1087 points along the coast and islands of the Adriatic Sea. This year, the number of testing points has increased by 79, with the largest increase recorded in Zadar County.

Continuous sea quality testing
Sampling and laboratory analysis are carried out every 15 days at all mentioned locations according to the Regulation on the Quality of Sea for Bathing (NN 73/08). Microbiological indicators are monitored, including intestinal enterococci and the bacterium Escherichia coli, whose values are defined by the Regulation. In addition to individual assessments after each sampling, an annual assessment of sea quality is made at the end of the bathing season.

Annual sea quality assessments
In 2023, at 951 measuring points out of a total of 1008 points, sea quality was rated as “excellent” (blue), at 38 points as “good” (green), at 6 points as “satisfactory” (yellow), and at 13 points as “unsatisfactory” (red).

New application for monitoring sea quality
For this bathing season, a new application for monitoring sea and bathing water quality in Croatia has been introduced, available at https://vrtlac.izor.hr/kakvoca/. The application is bilingual and allows citizens to enter comments and suggestions in real time, thus actively participating in the protection of the Adriatic Sea and inland waters, such as rivers and lakes.

Cover photo: Ranking of EU member states, Albania, and Switzerland by the proportion of bathing sites with excellent sea/water quality in 2023, covering 22,081 bathing sites in Europe (source: EU WISE database - mingo.gov.hr)