NEWS 2007.

Non-profit voluntary sports organisations one of the priority actions of the European Commission in 2008
 

”The Commission will focus on launching a study on volunteering in sport in 2008”, says Mr Michal Krejza, Head of Sport Unit, at the European Commission’s Conference on the White Paper on Sport in Brussels. 

A conference on the White Paper on Sport, published by the Commission in July 2007, was organised by the European Commission for international, European and national sports organisations and Olympic committees in Brussels on 8-9 October 2007.  

Non-profit voluntary sports organisations one of the Commission’s priority actions in 2008 

The White Paper on Sport was discussed thoroughly with regard to the organisation of sport, the societal role of sport, the economic impact of sport and the structured dialogue with sport stakeholders.   

The Pierre de Coubertin Action Plan on the White Paper on Sport contains a total of 53 actions. The Commission considered this proposal as one of the most important actions in 2008. ENGSO is very pleased that the Commission will focus on removing the barriers and identifying the challenges of non-profit voluntary sports organisations.  

”The Commission will focus on launching a study on non-profit sports organisations in 2008”, says Michal Krejza, Head of Sport Unit. Financing of grassroots sport will be analysed in 2008 as well.

ENGSO priority themes highlighted at the conference 

The ENGSO priority themes on the Action Plan of the White Paper on Sport were presented by Birgitta Kervinen, President of ENGSO, at the panel discussion on the theme Societal and Economic Role of Sport. ENGSO requires prompt analysis of the role of non-profit voluntary sports organisations, financing of grassroots sport, inclusion of sport in the EU funding programmes, special attention to gender equality issues in all activities related to sport and launch of a study to analyse all aspects of the complex issue regarding access to individual competitions for non-nationals. Ms Kervinen’s speech also included the importance of preserving the national decision-making in the area of gambling and lottery services.  

The priority themes of ENGSO received a great support from the participating organisations. ENGSO was the only organisation that submitted written priority themes and opinions on the EU sport policy to the Commission. Director Pierre Mairesse from the European Commission took a most moderate and conciliatory view to the national system of gambling and lottery services. Unofficially, ENGSO was also requested to negotiate with the German Olympic Committee on an affiliation with the EU Office of German Sports.  

Mr Enrique Sánchez-Guijo Acevedo, President of the European Paralympic Committee, emphasised the importance of all European citizens having equal opportunities to take part in physical exercise and sport in all EU policies. 

Other panel discussion participants were MEP Manolis Mavrommatis, Director Pierre Mairesse from the Commission, EPC President Sánchez-Guijo Acevedo, President Hansjörg Wirz of the European Athletics Association and Secretary General Thierry Zintz of the European Observatory of Sport and Employment.  

ENGSO regular member of EU Working Group 

Mr Pedro Velasquez from the Commission’s Sport Unit presented the Commission’s model on the Structured Dialogue with Sport Stakeholders and the EU Member States. The proposal is very thorough and includes the participation of ENGSO, EOC and EPC in e.g. the preparation of the annual EU Sport Forum and three times a year in the meetings of the Commission’s new EU Working Group on sport. The objective of the EU Working Group is to discuss all current sports political issues of the EU. The national umbrella organisations for sport and the national Olympic committees were already, upon the proposal of ENGSO, invited to this conference.  

According to Mr Mario Pescante, board member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the EU sport policy cannot be limited only to professional sport. As there are a total of 700 000 sports clubs and over 60 different sports represented in the European Union, sport has to viewed in a broad sense and the specificity of sport must be protected. The IOC would have hoped for a better consideration of the specificity of sport in the White Paper on Sport.  

Mr Laurentino Dias, Secretary of State of sport and youth issues in Portugal, considered the specific characteristics of sport a continuing challenge to the EU Member States and a continuous dialogue between the states, the European Union and the European sports movement necessary. An Informal Meeting of Ministers for Sports and a Pan-European Conference on the Fight against Doping in Sport were organised in Portugal on 24 and 25 October.
 

The following persons represented the Commission at the conference: Commissioner Ján Figel’, Director General for Education and Culture Odile Quintin, Director Pierre Mairesse, Head of Sport Unit Michal Krejza and officers of the Sport Unit. 

The following persons represented ENGSO at the conference: ENGSO President Birgitta Kervinen, ENGSO Vice-President Toomas Tönise, ENGSO Executive Committee Member Jan Bohac, Terhi Heinilä (Finnish Sports Federation), representatives of the Netherlands Olympic Committee (NOC-NSF) and the EU Office of German Sports.