This year, 118 Blue Flags were awarded, 99 for beaches and 19 for marinas on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Blue Flags being awarded in Croatia.
"As many as 120 beaches and marinas can boast of being awarded a Blue Flag, and the potential is much greater. It is up to the ministry to recommend and promote short- and long-term measures so that that number can be much higher," said Mario Siljeg, state secretary at the Ministry of Environment Protection and Energy.
He recalled that for almost 30 years now the Croatian Agency for the Environment and Nature and European agencies have been testing the quality of bathing water.
"Croatia is at the very top, behind Greece, Cyprus and Malta. More then 98% of localities tested have an excellent quality of swimming water and the rest are assessed as good," Siljeg said.
He underscored that care for the cleanliness of the sea and sustainable development along the coastline were among the government's top priorities, and water-management projects were being financed from the budget and EU funds.
The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its stringent standards.