Est. 3min 16-06-2005 (updated: 07-11-2012 ) Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram The Commission has been listening to the sports movement’s views on future EU sports policy at a meeting on 14-15 June. It says it will encourage closer links between DGs, especially DG Employment and Social Affairs. The conference split up into three workshops which came up with a range of detailed suggestions for consideration by the Commission and for action to be taken at different levels, be that by member states or sports federations for example. Among them were: Social function of sport Sport should be taken into account when the EU harmonises rules in other sectors A think tank to help design strategies should be set up Sport participation in Europe should be mapped with a focus on disadvantaged groups Sport helps to promote intercultural understanding and the fight against racism Hidden barriers to access to sport for groups that are sometimes excluded (eg immigrants, ethnic minorities, disabled people, elderly people and women) should be fought at European level Sports leaders (eg social workers working with disadvantaged people) should be given support in terms of training Sport should be linked to other policies such as health and education as well as being included in the activities of other Commission DGs Volunteering There should be more research into sports volunteering across Europe to gain a better understanding of the role of the voluntary sport movement. The structural opportunities of voluntary associations, including sport organisations, should be adapted to the interests and orientations of volunteers, including a better recognition of volunteers. The specific character of the volunteer’s activity and of the service provided by the voluntary organisation needed to be analysed in respect of the EU’s developing (economic) legal framework. There should be more adequate education and training. Sport should be taken into account in existing EU programmes (such as active citizenship) and there should be less red tape for volunteers, particularly in terms of access to EU programmes. The workshop said that there was no crisis in sports volunteering in terms of numbers but that new forms of civic engagement (“new” type of volunteer) needed consideration because the reasons people volunteer have changed. The issues is more about volunteers dropping out and here the point is that personal development and career oriented skills and training have become more important for volunteers. Fight against doping The workshop in this area pointed to the following key areas for action at EU level: education on doping in fitness centres education on doping in the school system the development of independent national anti-doping agencies in EU member states action against the illegal trafficking of doping substances among EU member states and at EU level the implementation of the EU directive on nutritional supplements Read more with Euractiv European research budget in dire straitsThe Luxembourg Presidency's proposal to cut the proposed doubling of the FP7 budget drastically has triggered alarm bells in the Commission and the academic world. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters PositionsLuxembourg (current holders of the EU presidency) Sports Minister Jeannot Krecké presented to European sports federations and NGOs the results of the informal conference of EU sports ministers on 28-29 April, saying he was happy to have been able to launch debates on key topics such as youth’s increasingly sedentary lifestyle, sport-related careers, athlete training, the free movement of athletes and anti-doping activities. He highlighted the problems related to the free movement of workers and the principle of not discriminating on the basis of nationality. He appealed for the specificity of sport to be taken into account. He also welcomed the "considerable progress" made by the sports world in the fight against doping, noting the importance of UNESCO's International Convention against Doping, which is soon to be finalised. He said he had acted, as Luxembourg currently hold the EU presidency, as a mediator in the tense stand-off between football governing body FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA. He said he had "high hopes" of a solution by the end of June "and then all the federations will be on board". He said that the new sports article in the EU Constitution "finally recognises sports as a fully fledged policy area", adding that "I would have preferred the sports movement to be more committed to adopting the treaty". The continued ratification process of the EU Constitution is currently in doubt. In his opening statement, Education and Culture Commissioner Ján Figel said that sport is a good example of how the EU can contribute to a 'citizen-friendly' Europe. From the start of his mandate he has maintained that the EU needs to promote this 'citizen-friendly' Europe in parallel with a 'business-friendly' Europe. "Constitution or no Constitution, the Commission has to go forward on sport and will do so," Director General of Directorate D (Youth, Sport and Relations with the citizen) of DG Education and Culture Pierre Mairesse told EURACTIV. "Although the media focus on doping, tackling the problem of doping should not overshadow all the other problems and aspects of sport," said Mairesse in concluding remarks to the conference. Mairesse says that volunteering is "at the heart of the debate on European citizenship". He said that young people tend to want to commit less to long-term projects and that this should be taken into account. He notes that the Commission's focus on fighting doping is currently on education, awareness and research. In terms of the social function of sport, he stresses the need for more understanding of this issue and the need to carry on exchanging best practices. He adds that he would be encouraging closer links with other relevant DGs, especially DG Employment and Social Affairs. One of the speakers on the social function of sport, Dr Maarten van Bottenburg from the WJH Mulier Institute, says that there is a real need for comparable statistics on sport in the EU-25. He told EURACTIV that there was a particular lack of data on the new member states as well as Greece Cyprus and Portugal. To improve comparison he says there should be a standardised module at the start of each sports survey asking ten to fifteen questions. Such EU-wide studies would help clarify why people do sport and why they drop out of sport, thus helping policymakers to develop cost-effective policies. Dr Karin Petry, a sports studies researcher at the German Sport University in Cologne told EURACTIV that "most of the existing figures [on sports participation] are not reliable and they are of little or no use for policy recommendations". She would encourage the Commission to find a tighter definition of sport to ensure that surveys carried out in EU countries are comparable. "Finding a common definition of 'amateur' and 'professional' could be one of the tasks but in all we need more transparency within the sporting world in Europe," she added. Currently the term 'sport' has different interpretations in different countries. In Italy 'lo sport' refers more tightly to competition whereas in Spain 'deportes' covers sport and leisure activities more broadly. For Italy, informal, self-organised activities such as jogging or walking would come under the term 'attivita fisiche' [physical activities] rather than under 'lo sport'. BackgroundWith the new sports article in the EU Constitution, the Commission brought together stakeholders from the European sports movement to air their views on future EU sports policy on 14-15 June 2005. Although ratification of the Constitution is now in considerable difficulties, the Commission stressed the need to continue to hold such meetings for the purposes of an ongoing dialogue. Volunteering, the social function of sport and the fight against doping were carefully chosen as all three are on the recently agreed rolling agenda of member state sports ministers. TimelineIt remains to be seen how the possible freezing of the ratification of the Constitution will affect how many resources the Commission can continue to devote to sport. Further ReadingEuropean Union Luxembourg EU Presidency:Jeannot Krecké meets the European sports federations DG Education & Culture/Sports Unit:Website (including four Commission studies on sport and Eurobarometer) Other CONI:2002 study on 'sport and physical activities' (in Italian only) W.J.H. Mulier Institute - Centre for research on sports in society:Website German Sport University Cologne:Website
