Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE), the participating countries mobilise their national FEEE member organisations.

Funding is provided by the European Commission and by other sources such as fees from the awarded beaches/marinas, contributions from national authorities, and purchase of material.

FEEE launched the Blue Flag Campaign in 1987 in co-operation with the European Commission as one of the projects within the European Year of the Environment. The Blue Flag Campaign is an environmental eco-label exclusively awarded to beaches and marinas. The award is based on 26 specific criteria for beaches and 16 specific criteria for marinas covering the same four aspects:

• water quality

• environmental education and information

• environmental management and facilities

• safety and service.

The award is renewed every year to ensure the continuing compliance with the criteria. The application is sent to the National Blue Flag Jury and, upon approval, is forwarded to the European Blue Flag Jury for the final recognition. The flag is raised every 5^th of June on World Environment Day, and it is withdrawn at the end of the bathing or sailing season. During the season, national and international inspection visits ensure the continuing compliance with such criteria, and in case of violations the flags are withdrawn.

Blue Flag Campaign has a multisectoral approach: protection and preservation, but also education and awareness raising, clean and safe water, integrated and sustainable coastal management and the implementation of different Commission directives.

• Oceans and seas: by demanding unpolluted beaches/marinas and nearby areas. Furthermore the criteria of the Campaign requests sustainable coastal management including the protection of sensitive coastal areas.

• Tourism: by ensuring clean and safe Blue Flag beaches/marinas and surrounding coastal areas, requesting environmental information and education for the visitors/users, and promoting use of environmental secure facilities for hazardous waste, use of environmental sound materials, re-use of recyclable material, and promotion of sustainable means of transportation.

• Small island developing states: by working on extending the Campaign to countries outside Europe.

• 452 Blue Flags in 10 countries were awarded in 1987. Since then the Campaign has increased up to 2,500, and the criteria have become stricter.

• Showed to be a successful eco-label combining the tourist promotion with the improvement of the environmental situation of coastal zones and of the performance of environmental education and information towards the stakeholders.

• Released the "Awards for Improving the Coastal Environment: the Example of the Blue Flag", a publication in cooperation with UNEP and WTO. The Campaign was presented at a conference about small island developing states in 1998.

• Secured successful implementation of the EU bathing water quality directive, improved physical planning and management of the coastal zones, enabling better access to environmental information and to the facilities in the beaches and marinas in general.

• Made stricter criteria for beaches and marinas, as of year 2000. This will include wastewater treatment, promotion of sustainable means of transportation and use of environmentally sound products, recycling of re-usable material, etc. The new criteria will enhance the role of Local Agenda 21 process in the Blue Flag Campaign.

• Introduced eco-management system for marinas.

• Increased the number of non-European countries/regions and international organisations that have addressed the Blue Flag Campaign, to raise awareness about the Campaign outside Europe. Countries in South East Asia, the Republic of South Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean region and USA are actively working at introducing the Campaign.

Mr. Finn Bolding Thomsen, The Blue Flag Co-ordination,
Friluftsrådet, Scandiagade 13,
DK-2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark,
Tel.: +45 33 79 00 79, Fax: +45 33 79 01 79,
E-mail: bf.int@friluftsraadet.dk
Web: http://www.blueflag.org