Beaches

What requirements must a beach meet to be awarded a Blue Flag in Spain?

Participation is voluntary on the part of the municipalities, which undertake to maintain water quality, safety and accessibility as well as environmental education programmes throughout the year

One of the Blue Flag beaches in El Ejido. (R. I.)

Almería

06/05/2026 a las 13:55h.

The Blue Flag initiative was created in 1985 in France as a national award for marinas and boats and within two years it had already ... spread to Spain, Denmark and Portugal as an environmental education programme for beaches and marinas under the coordination of the FEEE (Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe).

In 1987, European Year of the Environment, when the European Commission supported the extension of the Blue Flag programme to other European countries with a coastline. In Spain, the Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor (Adeac), a member of the FEE, has been responsible for this programme since its inception.

Adherence to the Blue Flag programme is completely voluntary. Town halls therefore apply for their beaches to undergo the assessment that awards the Blue Flag. Moreover, the certificate is not definitive and must be renewed every year.

To start the process, they must first contact Adeac, complete a series of questionnaires within the established deadlines (the campaign begins after the summer) and comply with the organisation's requirements. The National Blue Flag Jury then evaluates the candidates and sends its reports to the international jury, after which a visit by the inspectors is scheduled.

As described by Adeac, a beach is eligible for Blue Flag status if it has been officially designated at national level as a swimming area with at least one sampling point for water analysis. The name and physical boundaries of the beach must correspond to those officially recognised and it must have the facilities and standards required to meet Blue Flag criteria.

Education, cleanliness and security

Criteria taken into account when evaluating beaches include the existence of information panels on the beach itself, its natural environment and codes of conduct. In addition, the municipality is required to organise at least five environmental education activities per year.

The water quality must be "excellent at all sampling points", says Adeac, which is determined by regular samples being analysed. It also states that the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive must be complied with in order to be awarded a Blue Flag.

Environmental management is another of the points analysed, in particular, that the beach complies with the coastal law. It must be clean and have adequate waste management, including selective waste collection, public toilets and at least one of the swimming areas in the municipality must have a space adapted for people with disabilities. All beaches must be accessible and have first aid equipment.