"The sea is our resource. We are proud that 97 percent is excellent and 99 percent excellent or good," the minister told reporters, commenting on the findings.
He said testing in 2014 and over the past four years showed bathing water quality was excellent or good at nearly 99% of beaches. He said this was also due to the Sea Strategy, which envisages keeping the sea in "good condition" by 2020.
The minister said 8% of the sea was part of national or nature parks, while 16% was covered by the Natura 2000 nature protection network.
Asked how plans to exploit oil in the Adriatic fit into the Sea Strategy, he said any activity related to the sea, regardless of the investment planned, must pass the strictest control and implementation criteria.
Bathing water quality in Croatia has been tested since 1989. Last year, it was tested between May 15 and September 30 at 917 beaches in seven coastal counties. Bathing water was assessed as excellent at 875, good at 32, satisfactory at seven, and unsuitable for bathing at three.