Albania remains among the countries with the poorest beach water quality in Europe

Albania continues to remain at the bottom of the European ranking for beach water quality, according to the latest report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) for the 2025 season.

The report highlights that of the 119 areas monitored in Albania, less than 70% are classified as "excellent" quality, ranking the country among the five worst-performing countries in Europe, along with Belgium, Hungary, Poland and Estonia.

At the European level, the situation is significantly more positive. Of the 22,289 bathing areas monitored in the European Union, Albania and Switzerland, 84% were rated as “excellent”, while in EU countries this percentage reaches 85%.

The best performing countries are Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria and Austria, where over 95% of monitored waters meet the highest quality standard.

The report estimates that the improvement in water quality in Europe over recent decades is the result of large investments in urban wastewater treatment, the expansion of sewerage networks and systematic pollution monitoring.

In the case of Albania, the weaker performance is mainly related to deficiencies in wastewater treatment infrastructure, untreated discharges in some coastal areas, and increasing pressure from tourism during the summer season.

The report shows that in coastal waters, which make up the majority of monitored areas in Albania, less than 70% are classified as "excellent", while countries such as Cyprus, Slovenia and Lithuania have achieved 100% of their beaches receiving the maximum rating.

Monitoring is carried out on the presence of two main bacteria indicative of fecal contamination, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and intestinal enterococci, which are used to assess the risk that water poses to the health of vacationers.

Exposure to polluted water can cause gastrointestinal problems, eye, ear, and respiratory infections, and in rare cases, more serious infectious diseases.

Despite its unfavorable position in the European ranking, Albania remains far from the problems of countries reporting the largest number of areas with poor quality. According to the report, France, the Netherlands and Estonia are the countries where the percentage of waters classified as "poor" is highest.

The European Environment Agency highlights that the quality of bathing waters is a direct indicator of the effectiveness of environmental policies, investments in sanitation and the management of urban and agricultural pollution.

For Albania, the report serves as a signal that, despite the rapid development of tourism and the increase in the number of visitors to the coast, there is still work to be done in terms of investments in wastewater infrastructure and environmental protection, so that the quality of Albanian beaches approaches the standards of the most advanced European countries. / ekofin.al