Reding passes ‘sports baton’ to Figel

Education and Culture Commissioner Viviane Reding has left a
solid sporting legacy for Ján Figel to build on but is
likely to retain some involvement in her new
Commission post via the TV without Frontiers Directive.

A permanent dialogue with sports federations is one of the key
achievements of outgoing Education and Culture Commissioner Viviane
Reding’s time in overall charge of the sports portfolio, says
spokesperson Frédéric Vincent. For one thing, Reding has
successfully brought the powerful sports federations to
Brussels on various occasions.

Along with Monti, she helped find agreement on the transfer of
young footballers in 2001 when relations between the EU and
federations were at a low ebb. She is also proud to have been
involved in the Nice Declaration in 2000 and in particular, the new
article on sport in the new European Constitution.

A poll being conducted by the European Socialists’ Group
currently shows that around half of respondents want a more clearly
defined EU sports policy. George Walker, head of the sports
department at the Council of Europe, says that the EU
sports policy debate should be put in context as, in his
words, “there is only a five or six line reference to sport in the
Constitution”.

All set to move onto the audiovisual portfolio, Reding will
not entirely leave sport behind as she is sure to play a big role
in the shake-up of the TV without Frontiers Directive. She is said
to want a new directive by 2006 at the earliest and would like
short extracts of content (eg sports highlights) to be made more
easily available from one TV station to another.

British MEP Chris Heaton-Harris (EPP) said she was still
“regarded as a bit of an unknown quantity by most sporting folk”.
He added that the Commission’s most profound influence has
been via its competition rulings and the collective selling of TV
rights but guardedly mentioned her contribution to the fight
against doping in sport as an achievement. 

At an EP debate on 14 October, Reding pointed out that
doping is more than just a problem in sports competition but also
“a problem of public health”. Referring back to the doping scandals
that arose during the Tour de France in 1998, she said then that
“we noted that national solutions were insufficient and that
co-operation and even co-ordination between member states was
essential”.

On doping, Education and Culture Commissioner
designate Figel replied to a question prior to his
Parliament hearing that “clearly an effective network of labs
should be an aspect of any effective action against doping in
sport”. He also noted that the use of drugs and the fight
against consumption by young people were top prioritities of the
public health programme 2003-08.

Europe is currently repesented on WADA (the World Anti-Doping
Agency) with five seats, three based on the EU
troika, one for the Council of Europe’s secretariat
and one elected by its committee of ministers.

Read more with Euractiv

Sport set to play major role in roll-out of new technologies

The sports media rights debate is hotting up with broadcasting deals moving towards shorter contracts, more packages and a split between TV, internet and 3G rights. Commission sector inquiries are underway.