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Press release 07.11.2025 | For immediate release
A few weeks after the publication of the annual report on bathing water quality in Europe, it was made public yesterday that the European Commission would not initiate a formal revision of Directive 2006/7/EC. The environmental NGO Surfrider Foundation Europe, mobilized since 2019 on the matter, responds with disappointment and frustration to this decision, considering it baffling and inadequate given the current sanitary and environmental stakes.
Surfrider Foundation deplores the Commission’s inaction to future-proof bathing water quality in Europe
The European Commission has confirmed that it did not consider a priority to revise of the Directive concerning the management of bathing water quality (Directive 2006/7/EC), despite it being long awaited by ocean protection stakeholders, including Surfrider Foundation Europe.
The NGO considers this decision incomprehensible: the Commission itself had launched a thorough evaluation of this Directive whose findings were released last March. Paradoxically, the conclusions highlighted in this report indicated that a revision could better address new environmental and health challenges.
Today, Surfrider regrets the Commission’s lack of consideration for the importance of protecting both aquatic ecosystems, affected by countless sources of pollution, and the health of the millions of recreational users throughout the year.
“By refusing to initiate the revision of the directive, the Commission is turning its back on years of mobilization by ocean protection stakeholders and on its own findings. As pressures on aquatic environments intensify and health risks for people multiply, maintaining the status quo is not a viable solution. We need a legal framework that is future-proof and up to the environmental and health challenges we face,” denounces Lucille Labayle, water quality and health policy officer for the for the NGO.
A mobilization patiently built since 2019
Since 2019, Surfrider Foundation Europe and its allies have been relentlessly advocating for the revision of the Bathing Water Directive. Awareness campaigns, complementary water analyses, active participation in expert meetings, campaigning in Brussels, and volunteer mobilization on the field: the NGO engaged at every level to voice the urgency of an ambitious reform.
In 2020, Surfrider officially delivered its Manifesto for Healthy Waters to the European Commission, including seven key recommendations for an ambitious revision. These notably called for the expansion of the areas monitored, year-round water quality control, the integration of additional monitoring parameters reflecting the full range of pollution affecting recreational sites (such as algal blooms, waste, emerging pollutants…), as well as measures ensuring better prevention of pollution at the source.
In 2022, the European Commission announced the postponement of the publication of the Directive’s. At the time Surfrider strongly condemned this setback and reaffirmed its full commitment to a more ambitious Directive. Today, almost three years later, the Commission eventually announces its refusal to formally revise the text, without any convincing justification: a decision made without consultation with stakeholders, following a process marked by a lack of clear communication.
A Directive insufficiently fit to tackle the environmental and sanitary challenges we face
Yesterday, Denmark chose to mark the start of its rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union with a strong signal, placing the risks linked to PFAS pollution at the heart of EU debates. During the informal meeting of environment and climate ministers held in Aalborg on July 10 and 11, the Danish minister Magnus Heunicke even proposed that his counterparts undergo blood tests to raise awareness and alert about the sanitary risks society is facing. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we witness the Commission’s decision to not revise the Bathing Water Directive. This paradox once again highlights the urgent need to expand bathing water monitoring parameters and update the Directive, which currently completely overlooks these pollutants.
Of the seven recommendations defended by Surfrider in its Manifesto, a vast majority perfectly align with the findings of the Commission’s official evaluation, demonstrating the relevance of reopening the Directive. In light of this analysis, Surfrider expresses its frustration. “The report acknowledges the need for a more consistent level of environmental and health protection, for year-round water quality checks, and for more systematic, harmonized public information and participation — all of which are issues and demands Surfrider Foundation has been championing for years” emphasizes Lucille Labayle.
These findings highlight the urgent need to adapt the Bathing Water Directive to current challenges, such as the increasing presence of new pollutants, the effects of climate change, and evolving recreational uses. The current framework is too limited and no longer reflects the reality of health and environmental risks. It is therefore essential to broaden its scope and adopt a holistic approach aligned with the ‘One Health’ principle.
Surfrider calls on its community to mobilize
Despite this disappointing decision, Surfrider Foundation Europe remains fully mobilised. The NGO pursues its efforts to defend the ocean and the health of the millions of Europeans who enjoy it every day. Today, it calls on all citizens, supporters, and ocean lovers to join the fight for an ambitious and immediate revision of the Directive.
The NGO calls on its community to firmly oppose this decision and reaffirms that it will relentlessly continue its advocacy campaign and awareness-raising actions to keep decision-makers accountable guarantee healthy waters for all, now and for generations to come.
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