Sarkozy backs European 'sporting exception' 

"I'd like there to be a European sporting exception similar to the cultural exception," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy, presenting his country's EU presidency priorities to the European Parliament on 10 July.

"I am for the freedom of circulation of people and goods," he said. But he refused to accept the fact that from the age of 14, young players can be sold to other football clubs, thus meaning their first clubs cannot reap the benefit of the effort they put into training the young talents.

He hoped a sporting exception recognising that "sport does not simply obey market economy rules" would gather the support of all MEPs.

The French EU Presidency programme  namely notes that France will seek "an agreement that lays down the special nature of training for young athletes". The programme also announces the start of work on "the structuring of the profession of sports agent and supervision of club management". 

The Lisbon Treaty , if ratified by all the EU 27, would introduce an EU competence on sport as of 2009. Article 149 of the Treaty states that the EU competence would be to support member states in the social, educational and cultural aspects of sport. 

More importantly, the article states that EU's contribution to the promotion of European sporting issues would be done "taking account of the specific nature of sport, its structures based on voluntary activity and its social and educational functions".

European sports governing bodies have recently expressed serious concern regarding the EU's interference into the rules of the sports world and hope the Lisbon Treaty's reference to "the specific nature of sport" will guarantee that sporting rules are exempt from the bloc's legislation.

In particular, a recent judgement of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the so-called Meca-Medina case  is considered by some experts to mark the end of the 'sporting exception' as it stated that anti-doping regulations fall under the bloc's competition laws. The court namely ruled that anti-doping regulations contravened the bloc's competition laws by removing the freedom of the two banned swimmers to compete after postive doping tests.