According to a report published by the European Environment Agency, the sea off Croatia’s coast, alongside Malta’s and Cyprus’, is the cleanest in Europe.Environment minister, Mihael Zmajlović told reporters that Croatia’s beaches are its strong point with many awarded blue flags. Croatia was one of the first Mediterranean countries to carry out sea cleanliness testing for bathing demonstrating the country’s commitment to high standards. When Croatia enters the EU this year, 16.6% of the country’s sea will belong to the Natura 2000 protected ecological network.
The quality of the sea is tested during the bathing season from May until October every 15 days, at 900 locations along the Croatian coast. Of all the tested locations only 0.7 % of beaches failed to satisfy the criteria due to drainage systems in those areas not being sufficient.