Editorial policy

Data first

Every page is built from published datasets: the EEA bathing water dataset for classifications and history, and Natural Earth for regions. Statistics are computed by this site from that data.

How text is produced

Page text comes from fixed templates filled in with data. Which sentence is used depends on the data, for example on whether a classification has improved or declined. Nothing is written by hand about individual sites, and no text is generated by AI.

The site does not add facts that are not in the data: no descriptions of beaches, facilities, lifeguards, awards or access.

What gets a page

A site gets a page when it has a current classification, a region and at least four classified seasons since the current scheme began. Pages are released in stages; sites without a page are still counted in the statistics.

Independence

The site is independent of the EEA, the European Commission and national authorities. There is no paid placement, and no site can pay to be included, ranked or described differently.

Corrections

Errors are corrected as described on the corrections page, and corrections are listed there.