Greece comes second in Blue Flag program for clean beaches

Greek beaches have been awarded 408 Blue Flags for excellent water quality, putting the country in second place out of 51 countries after Spain, according to the Blue Flag program which is managed by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education.

The flags, which are awarded annually, are based on a number of criteria, including water quality, environmental management, services and safety.

Spain topped the list with 571 flags.

After Greece came Turkey with 387 flags with France and Portugal in fourth and fifth place with 379 and 298 flags respectively.