Cyprus has cleanest beaches in EU

By Alimat Aliyeva

After Cyprus, where 97 percent of beaches have "excellent water quality," Austria is in second place, and Croatia is in third, Azernews reports.

Cyprus has the highest percentage of beaches with "excellent water quality." This is stated in the report of the European Environment Agency and the European Commission.

According to the report, last year more than 85 percent of beaches in Europe met EU standards for "excellent" water quality. Beaches with "poor" water quality accounted for about 1.5 percent. The document also notes that the water quality in the seas is generally better than in inland lakes.

After Cyprus, where 97 percent of beaches are rated "excellent water quality", Austria is in second place, and Croatia is in third. Albania is in last place, where only 41 percent of the beaches have excellent water quality. Hungary, Estonia, Belgium and Romania also have problems with clean beach water. The EU average is 85 percent.