A European Commission report has said that water quality at European bathing beaches has improved in recent years but Italy "has work to do" on its bathing sites.

EUobserver reported on Friday that the commission's latest annual "bathing water report" says as of 2009, 96 percent of coastal beaches met EU minimum standards.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said of the report, "Over the last 30 years, EU and national legislation has significantly improved the quality of Europe's bathing waters but our work does not end here."

EUobserver also said that although seaside beaches in Cyprus, France, Greece and Portugal complied with the EU's tougher "guide values," 2 percent of coastal beaches were banned in 2009, and most of those were in Italy.

Potocnik suggested he would decline to go swimming there.

He further said, "Italy has work to do. I don't know about the discrepancies, but I'm swimming on the other side."

EUobserver also reported that freshwater bathing sites were included in the report, which said Finland, France, Germany and Sweden had the best lakeside or riverside places to swim. (With Inputs from Agencies)