Article 165 of the Lisbon Treaty provides the European Union with a soft competence on sport.
This means that the Commission will develop a specific EU sports programme, supported by a budget. The competence also allows for better promotion of sport in other EU policy areas and programmes, such as health and education.
The treaty provisions further give the EU the opportunity to speak with one voice in international forums and vis-à-vis third countries. EU sports ministers will now also begin meeting in official Sports Council meetings.
According to Michal Krejza, head of the Commission's sports unit, the new competence will help the EU add value by supporting platforms of exchange and debate, providing legal clarity and co-financing various initiatives.
The Lisbon Treaty requires the Commission to contribute to the promotion of European sporting issues "while taking account of the specific nature of sport, its structures based on voluntary activity and its social and educational function".
It asks the European dimension in sport to be developed "by promoting fairness and openness in sporting competitions and cooperation between bodies responsible for sports, and by protecting the physical and moral integrity of sportspeople".
EU sport programme
In parallel to a wide consultation of member states and stakeholders regarding the implementation of Lisbon Treaty's sport provisions during the first half of 2010, the Commission is starting to draft the first EU sports programme.
According to Krejza, an EU sports programme could be designed to:
- Contribute to the promotion of European values (physical and moral integrity of sportspersons, fairness of competitions): projects could address issues such as doping, racism and protection of minors;
- foster the social and educational function of sport: projects could address issues such as gender equality, disability and co-operation between sports organisations;
- promote the transfer of knowledge, innovation, dialogue and good governance in the sector: projects could address issues such as licensing rules for clubs and mobility of sports experts;
- contribute to the promotion of a physically-active lifestyle: projects could address issues such as health promotion, and;
- foster co-operation with third countries and with international organisations in the field of sport.
The Commission stresses that the 2007 White Paper will remain the cornerstone of its policies. An upcoming communication on the impact of Lisbon Treaty on sports will study areas not yet covered by the paper but now allowed for under Article 165, such as intellectual property rights in sports and match-fixing.
