It was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation of the Mayor of Ayia Napa, Ayia Napa Marina, the National Blue Flag Judge and the CYMEPA Organisation to attend and greet the Cyprus Blue Flag award ceremony.
As you know, swimming is an extremely popular and important recreational and exercise activity throughout Europe. The annual assessment of bathing water results shows how well public health and environmental protection measures are implemented, allowing citizens to make the right decisions about the choices they have to enjoy the best bathing areas.
The Blue Flag, which is awarded to beaches that meet the criteria of the above-mentioned assessment, is an international institution that promotes environmental awareness. It is the most recognised and widespread ecological symbol of quality in the world, rewarding well-managed coastlines and awarded according to strict criteria. By respecting the values of life and culture, the institution of the Blue Flag adds value to tourism at both national and local level, actively promoting the principles of ecology and sustainability. In this institution, the pioneer in Cyprus is the Marine Environment Protection Organisation CYMEPA, as chairman of the National Blue Flag Judge, of which the Environment Department is an active member. The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, through the Department of Environment, has the general responsibility for the implementation of the Bathing Water Quality Management Law, in cooperation with the Health Services and the General State Laboratory.
Through this institution, beaches that achieve high quality environmental objectives are awarded. A prerequisite for a beach to be awarded the Blue Flag is the excellent quality of its bathing waters. In addition to this, 33 other assessment criteria are taken into account for beaches and 38 for marinas, which certify, among other things, the safety of bathers, the best possible information for visitors, the cleanliness and organisation of the coast and coastal area, the protection of natural resources and the promotion of environmental awareness. An important achievement for Cyprus is that this year 74 out of 120 bathing water areas, including the two marinas of Limassol and Ayia Napa, were awarded the Blue Flag.
At this point, I would like to remind you that for 2020, our country was ranked first in Europe for the quality of its bathing waters, with a 100% compliance rate with the standards of the relevant European Directive. For 2021, the assessment of bathing water results by the European Commission has not yet been announced, which is expected by the end of the month. It is obvious that the specificities of Cyprus, where the correlation of bathing water quality with tourism is direct, make these results very important, not only for health and the environment, but also for the economy of our country.
In conclusion, I would like to thank and congratulate the government agencies involved for their valuable contribution to the implementation of the relevant legislation and their cooperation with CYMEPA, as well as the members of the National Blue Flag Jury, the Local Authorities and all citizens for their contribution to the success of the institution. The effort made is crucial for the protection of bathing waters, which contributes to a better quality of life for our fellow citizens and contributes substantially to the economic progress and development of our island.
(MGM/IK)
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