EcoWorldly

We’re at the beginning of June and it’s still raining. Despite this unmerciful weather, summer season is coming and Italian coasts are preparing to host bunch of tourists from around the world. Such as every year, a list of best beaches is revealed by the Blue Flag Programme, responsible for monitoring popular public beaches, resorts and marinas throughout the world. Criteria such as water quality, amenities and general safety, as well as nearby cultural attractions are all taken into account before a “Blue Flag” is awarded.

This year the Blue Flag programme, owned and run by the independent non-profit organization Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), has declared Italy’s nicest beaches can be found in the Tuscany and Marche regions, with each region boasting 15 awards. Overall, 215 beaches in 104 Italian communities received a “Blue flag”, eight more than last year and 14 more than in 2006. While last year many southern Italian beaches failed to gain the coveted symbol because of problems with waste disposal, this year they have had greater success.

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”Of the 18 beaches that were not present on the list last year, around 13 come from the south and central regions,” said Carla Creo of the Italian Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA), which promotes the Blue Flag Programme in Italy.

Good to know in a period of bad news with a garbage crisis overwhelming Italy’s south!

But all that glitters is not gold …

According to the European Commission’s annual bathing water report, the vast majority of the European Union’s bathing waters are clean: 95.2% of coastal areas and 88.7% of rivers and lakes complied with the strict rules on water cleanliness in 2007. But in one of the most popular holiday destinations, Italy, the number of banned beaches rose to 300, up from 262 in 2006 and from just 125 in 2002!

What does it mean? Does this increase show Italian seriousness about tackling its dirty bathing waters? This could be possible, noted officials in Brussels, but it’s seems a strange contradiction..

Yesterday Pietro D’Andrea, the President of the Italian Federation of Beach Companies (Fiba Confesercenti), protested against the bad condition of beaches in the Molise region, located in the south-central Italy. He pointed out the degradation of the coastal area in Termoli, one of the Italian communities to receive a “Blue Flag” this year.

Blue Flag Programme should guarantee a general rule for the whole country but Italy is a long stripe of differences and local choices. Every summer many tourists arrive thanks to our enchanting coastline, with a clean and crystal-clear sea, especially in south of Italy. This remain the most important award, more than any flag, but it’s necessary to be honest about the quality of our beaches if we want to maintain this good reputation.

To check the water quality of any EU beach, river or lake by consult the interactive map available at the following website: www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/mapviewers/bathing

Sources:
Il Tempo Molise
Il Corriere
Apcom

Image courtesy of Comune di Rimini

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