The ILSE Rescue Commission created a system of Safety Signs for beaches in cooperation with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). The European Parliament discussed the Directive A5-0335/2003 on Bathing Water Quality which proposed a flag system of red/green and orange flags.

The ILSE Rescue Commission created a system of Safety Signs for beaches in cooperation with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). The European Parliament discussed the Directive A5-0335/2003 on Bathing Water Quality which proposed a flag system of red/green and orange flags.

This system was in conflict with the ILSE system of Beach Safety Signs. In order to avoiding confusion a letter has been sent to the European Parliament, the European Commission and other European and German Institutions as well as to the ILSE Board in order to clarifying this problem. The EU accepted the opinion of ILSE and rejected this flag system.

The ILSE Rescue Commission further developed a concept of Risk Assessment. This concept will be added to the Blue Flag System. Every beach or other bathing facility with the need of lifeguards will be evaluated by a special certified Assessor of the national member federations of ILSE. Only after this evaluation and the confirmation of the safety requirements (e.g. lifeguards and equipment) the beaches and other bathing waters will recieve the Blue Flag and in addition the registered lifeguarded”Flag.

In coming years ILSE has to train more than 250 assessors to award a qualification of a common international standard. In order to realise this huge project, namely “Risk Assessment all over Europe” requires the evaluation of thousands of places. Our new flag is registered and protected world-wide (costs some €12.000). It will be a special marketing instrument in tourism too.