Brussels, 23 May 2017

Today, hosted by the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU in Brussels, the second EU Day against Impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes was held, co-organised by the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, and the EU Network for investigation and prosecution of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes (the Genocide Network).

The event’s emphasis was on stepping up collective action and cooperation within the European Union when fighting impunity. In attendance were practitioners, representatives from international criminal courts and tribunals, Member States, European institutions, international organisations and NGOs, academics and lawyers. The opening speech was delivered by the Ambassador of the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union, H.E. Marlene Bonnici.

The opening speech was delivered by the Ambassador of the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union, H.E. Marlene Bonnici, who said: ‘The universal respect for human rights and the rule of law must be the bedrock in the fight against impunity. At the same time, we must continue to raise international awareness of the importance of prosecuting those who commit genocide and crimes against humanity to the fullest extent possible.’

In the keynote speech of the President of Eurojust, Ms Michèle Coninsx, she said: ‘Experience shows that fighting impunity for the most heinous international crimes requires close cooperation between States to close impunity gaps and bring criminals to justice. Eurojust is proud to have been entrusted with hosting and supporting the Genocide Network since its start, back in 2004. The network has contributed to successful prosecutions of perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture.’

The other keynote speech was delivered by the Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Ms Věra Jourová, who said: ‘We cannot let crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide go unpunished. We have to put an end to impunity. The contributions by Eurojust and the Genocide Network are crucial to facilitate cooperation within the EU to better prosecute such crimes.’

Photo: © Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU

Brussels, 23 May 2017

Today, hosted by the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU in Brussels, the second EU Day against Impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes was held, co-organised by the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, and the EU Network for investigation and prosecution of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes (the Genocide Network).

The event’s emphasis was on stepping up collective action and cooperation within the European Union when fighting impunity. In attendance were practitioners, representatives from international criminal courts and tribunals, Member States, European institutions, international organisations and NGOs, academics and lawyers. The opening speech was delivered by the Ambassador of the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union, H.E. Marlene Bonnici.

The opening speech was delivered by the Ambassador of the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union, H.E. Marlene Bonnici, who said: ‘The universal respect for human rights and the rule of law must be the bedrock in the fight against impunity. At the same time, we must continue to raise international awareness of the importance of prosecuting those who commit genocide and crimes against humanity to the fullest extent possible.’

In the keynote speech of the President of Eurojust, Ms Michèle Coninsx, she said: ‘Experience shows that fighting impunity for the most heinous international crimes requires close cooperation between States to close impunity gaps and bring criminals to justice. Eurojust is proud to have been entrusted with hosting and supporting the Genocide Network since its start, back in 2004. The network has contributed to successful prosecutions of perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture.’

The other keynote speech was delivered by the Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Ms Věra Jourová, who said: ‘We cannot let crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide go unpunished. We have to put an end to impunity. The contributions by Eurojust and the Genocide Network are crucial to facilitate cooperation within the EU to better prosecute such crimes.’

Photo: © Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU

Over 96% of bathing water sites met minimum quality requirements set out under European Union rules.

The report from the European Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) confirms a positive 40-year trend of increasingly cleaner water at beaches and swimming spots across Europe. The assessment compiled analyses of water sampled at more than 21 000 coastal and inland bathing sites and gives a good indication where the best sites with the highest water quality are likely to be found this summer. Bathing water is sampled and monitored for contamination by faecal pollution from sewage or livestock.

As in recent years, the vast majority of Europe’s swimming spots can boast good quality water. In 2016, 96.3% of sites met the minimum ‘sufficient’ quality requirements set out in the EU’s Bathing Water Directive. This is up slightly from 96.1% in 2015. More than 85% (85.5) of bathing water sites met the directive’s most stringent ‘excellent’ water quality standards, up from 84.4% in 2015.

Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said: ‘The excellent quality of European Bathing Water sites is not by chance. It is the result of hard work by dedicated professionals. It shows the importance of nurturing EU policy that promotes green jobs. This year our European Green Week, 29 May – 2 June, will celebrate this investment. Water technicians, flood protectors, environmental chemists, waste water managers – all play an essential role in keeping bathing water quality high’.

Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director, said: ‘It is encouraging to see that more and more bathing water sites across Europe are meeting the highest quality standards. This helps Europeans make better informed choices about the bathing sites they plan to visit this summer. It also shows the effectiveness of our environmental policies and the practical benefits to human health protection and our daily lives when excellent data collection and analysis are conducted.’

The report covers bathing water locations across the EU, Albania and Switzerland. European bathing waters are much cleaner than forty years ago when large quantities of untreated or partially treated municipal and industrial waste water were discharged into water.

Key findings

• All reported bathing water sites in Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Romania, and Slovenia achieved at least ‘sufficient’ quality in 2016.
• In five countries, 95% or more bathing waters were assessed as being of ‘excellent’ quality: Luxembourg (all 11 reported bathing sites), Cyprus (99%of all sites), Malta (99% of all sites), Greece (97% of all sites), and Austria (95% of all sites).
• In 2016, 1.5% (1.4% for EU countries) of bathing water sites were rated as having ‘poor’ water quality. Between the 2015 and 2016 bathing seasons, the absolute number of bathing waters classified as ‘poor’ dropped from 383 to 318 (from 349 to 302 for EU countries).
• The highest number of bathing sites with ‘poor’ water quality were found in Italy (100 bathing water sites or 1.8%), France (82 sites or 2.4%) and Spain (39 sites or 1.8%)

Background

The major sources of pollution are sewage and water draining from farms and farmland. Such pollution increases during heavy rains and floods due to sewage overflow and polluted drainage water being washed into rivers and seas. Faecal contamination of water continues to pose a risk to human health, especially if it is found at bathing water sites. Swimming at contaminated beaches or lakes can result in illness. All EU Member States, plus Albania and Switzerland, monitor their bathing sites according to the provisions of the EU’s revised Bathing Water Directive. The legislation specifies if the bathing water quality can be classified as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’, depending on the levels faecal bacteria detected. Where water is classified as ‘poor’, Member States should take certain measures, like banning bathing or posting a notice advising against it, providing information to the public, and suitable corrective measures.

More information:

Country reports

Interactive map on performance of each bathing site

Bathing Water Directive

EEA State of Bathing Water

EU Green Week 2017