Blue Flag’s stakeholders

Formal Request Endorsement

Protecting the Blue Flag Programme

A Proven European Public Good

 

We, the undersigned, call on the European Commission to protect and appropriately recognise the Blue Flag Programme within the EU’s consumer protection framework for the green transition.

 

For nearly 40 years, the Blue Flag Programme has been a cornerstone of European coastal quality, safety, accessibility, and environmental education. Established in 1987 with the support of the European Commission, it has become one of the most trusted and recognisable sustainability initiatives in Europe and globally.

The Blue Flag is not a commercial green claim. It is a participatory, public-interest environmental programme that:

  • supports EU environmental and water legislation,

  • strengthens coastal resilience and public safety,

  • empowers municipalities and regions,

  • engages citizens and visitors in environmental education, and

  • enjoys exceptionally high public trust.

 

Its governance and verification system has, since its founding and well before any relevant European regulation, embedded the very principles that current EU consumer protection legislation seeks to uphold: integrity, transparency, independent oversight, scientific credibility, and continuous monitoring.

 

We fully support the EU’s objective to combat misleading environmental claims. However, beaches and marinas are dynamic public environments, not static consumer products. Therefore, applying the full procedural requirements of the new Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) (EU) 2024/825, to the Blue Flag, without differentiation, would undermine both environmental outcomes and consumer trust, risking serious unintended consequences, including:

  • disproportionate administrative and financial burdens on municipalities,

  • withdrawal of smaller and less-resourced communities,

  • reduced environmental monitoring and public safety,

  • and a weakening of one of Europe’s most effective sustainability tools.

 

We therefore call on the European Commission to:

  1. Formally recognise the Blue Flag Programme’s unique status and 40-year contribution to Europe’s environmental, social, and tourism objectives.

  2. Ensure proportionate and appropriate application of EU consumer protection rules to the Blue Flag Programme.

  3. Safeguard the programme’s participatory, educational, and locally embedded model, which is essential to its success.

  4. Protect municipal and regional participation, particularly for smaller communities.

  5. Engage in structured dialogue with stakeholders to ensure consumer protection strengthens — rather than weakens — proven environmental initiatives.

Protecting the Blue Flag Programme means protecting what works for Europe’s citizens, communities, and environment.

 

Short explanatory note

Why this formal request matters

The Blue Flag Programme has helped transform Europe’s beaches and marinas for almost four decades. It supports the implementation of EU environmental law on the ground, improves public safety and accessibility, and educates millions of citizens every year.

Unlike commercial labels, the Blue Flag:

  • is awarded following independent evaluation, with multiple controls at national and then international level and full transparency

  • involves public authorities, civil society, and international experts,

  • includes continuous monitoring and complaint mechanisms,

  • and operates in highly dynamic environments affected by natural processes, including climate change, as well as human activities. 

 

The EU’s new consumer protection rules are essential to combat greenwashing. However, if applied without flexibility to a programme like the Blue Flag, they risk undermining trusted, public-interest initiatives rather than strengthening consumer confidence.

This formal request does not ask for exemption from integrity or transparency. It asks for recognition, proportionality, and legal clarity, so that a proven European success story can continue to deliver environmental, social, and educational benefits.

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