During a surprise inspection by the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature, 22 Greek beaches were stripped of their blue flags. It turned out that they did not comply with the standards for the "blue flag" distinction, BNR reported.
Beaches with a withdrawn "blue flag" do not comply with the requirements for quality of service, easy access to the sea for people with disabilities, cleanliness and safety.
This year, 625 Greek beaches received the prestigious award, which is 15% of the beaches in the world.
The award should not only be deserved, but also maximum efforts should be made to retain it for one year while complying with all environmental requirements.
However, it turned out that during a surprise inspection by representatives of the Greek Society for the Protection of Nature, violations of the requirements were found and the prestigious award was withdrawn from 22 Greek beaches.
Four of them are on Crete, three on the island of Naxos and three on the Halkidiki peninsula. The rest are in other parts of the country.