The EU entity's latest report on the subject, released on Wednesday, is based on samples gathered at 21.582 bathing areas, on the coast and in the interior, in all member states, Switzerland and Albania, in 2015 - but aims to be indicative of the situation this year.

In eight countries - Luxembourg, Cyprus, Malta, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Germany and Austria - 90% of bathing waters tested were classed as excellent.

Overall, 385 areas with poor quality bathing waters were found - or 1.6% of the total, down from 1.9% in 2014. Of those 95 were found in both Italy and France and 58 in Spain.

Italy also had the largest number of bathing areas tested, at 5,518, and Luxembourg the fewest, with 11.

In Portugal 569 areas were tested, 11 more than the previous year, and 481 of them were classed as excellent, 55 as good and 12 as adequate making for a total of 96.3% with a positive mar.

Three areas or 0.5% of the total were classed as having poor-quality water: Praia do Gorgulho and Poças do Gomes in Madeira and Jardim de Oudinot at Ílhavo in central Portugal.

EU directives state that at bathing areas classed as poor quality, the authorities should ban bathing identify the causes for the pollution and act to prevent, reduce or eliminate them.

In 18 cases in the EU it was not possible to classify the quality of the waters the report notes.

More than two thirds of the bathing areas tested last year were on the coast.

Last year was the first in which all member states monitored bathing areas in line with EU directives.

According to the European commissioner for the environment, Karmenu Vella, the current situation is thanks to 40 years of investments in infrastructure to treat water and waste water and is a sign that European legislation is working and a testimony to the fact that a highly developed economy can also have high environmental standards.