(10.5.2010)

The International Blue Flag Jury met on 23 April 2010 and awarded the Blue Flag to 2884 beaches and 627 marinas in 33 countries.

The International Blue Flag Jury met on 23 April 2010 to review the Blue Flag candidates from the northern hemisphere: Europe, Morocco, Tunisia and Canada. The International Jury decided to award the Blue Flag to 2884 beaches and 627 marinas in 33 countries in the northern hemisphere. For the first time the Blue Flag was awarded to beaches in Ukraine while sites in Trinidad & Tobago, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates are ready to join the programme with pilot sites. More detailed information about the 2010 awards will be published on the Blue Flag website www.blueflag.org on 5 June 2010.

Every year, the National Blue Flag Jury studies in detail all the Blue Flag candidates, assuring their compliance with all beach and marina criteria on national and international level. Those accepted candidates are then forwarded to the International Jury, who focuses on certain criteria that vary from year to year, and give their final decision after having discussed and reviewed the candidates.

The Blue Flag programme has always been a precursor for introducing environmental education, safety and services on its sites to the general public. Continuously striving towards higher standards, the Blue Flag decided in 2007 that it was time for a change in its bathing water quality criteria, therefore initiating an ongoing process of discussions with technical and scientific experts. A new international standard which could apply to all the participating countries worldwide was agreed upon. This year was the first year where the new bathing water quality criteria was tested and adopted by certain countries. In a transition phase and until 2012, the countries have the possibility to apply either the old or the new Blue Flag bathing water quality. The International Jury has been very pleased with the use of the new bathing water quality criteria for its first year.

The International Blue Flag Jury will be meeting in September 2010, to evaluate the Blue Flag candidate beaches and marinas from South Africa, the countries of the Caribbean, Brazil and New Zealand.

The International Blue Flag Jury is composed of representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), International Lifesaving Federation (ILS), the European Environment Agency (EEA), European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), an Environmental Education expert, the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) and the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

The Blue Flag highly appreciates the good cooperation with its sponsors and would like to thank Corona Extra, Shipmate and BeachTech for their support over the years.

Last but not least, the Blue Flag International Jury would like to congratulate all awarded sites for their commitment to the programme and invaluable willingness in bringing their sites to very high quality standards for the benefits of the public.