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In Europe, as in many other parts of the world, the water quality of coastal waters, rivers and lakes generally degraded from the 19th century onwards, largely owing to growing towns and industries discharging untreated wastewater. Through the 20th century, the increased use of pesticides and fertilisers on agricultural land added chemicals to this pollution ‘cocktail’, and recent evidence (EEA, 2017b) shows that climate change is further degrading water quality in Europe. Excessive nutrient pollution coupled with climate warming is causing eutrophication and even harmful algal blooms. In other words, European water quality in both freshwater and coastal ecosystems is affected by multiple pressures, some of which can interact to intensify their individual effects. Moreover, many river banks, lake shores and coastlines have been structurally modified for flood protection, navigation, tourism, land transportation and construction. Such modifications can also deteriorate water quality, limit self-purification and increase pollution risks.