Sports policy in shape

The EU's first ever Work Plan for Sport was approved by sports ministers on 20 May. This is a new area of EU competence introduced by the Lisbon Treaty. Another issue addressed at the meeting was sport-related aspects of on-line betting, which was discussed - apart from the formal session - in a "high-level structured dialogue" between EU and national public authorities and representatives from the sports movement.

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For the period 2011-2014, the main objective of the Work Plan is to strengthen cooperation in the field of sport between member states and the EU. The document identifies three priority themes for action: integrity, social values and the economic aspects of sport. Several working groups will be set up to address issues such as anti-doping, education and training in sport, and sport statistics.

Under the new distribution of competences, EU-level action on sports policy supports and coordinates the activities of member states, while decisions continue to be taken at national level.

In the "structured dialogue", with participants including the International Olympics Committee (IOC) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), discussions centred on the challenges resulting from the recent on-line betting boom, such as the expansion of illegal betting on sport and its effect on the funding of sport. According to IOC estimates, the illegal betting industry is worth around 148 billion euros a year, with no money going back to sport.

The specific meeting on sport of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council was chaired by Attila Czene, Hungarian Minister of State for Sport - himself the winner of the gold medal in the 200m individual medley at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

"This is a very complex issue which needs further reflection", he said when talking about sport-related aspects of on-line betting. "We need a lot of consultation and cooperation between governments, the sport movement and betting operators," he concluded.

More information:
Resolution on Work Plan for Sport (pdf)
Council debate webcast
Council press release
Hungarian Presidency press release