Brussels, 24/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Union should make more regular use of the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty to promote the benefits of sport on the personal development of individuals, stressed the MEPs of the committee on education and culture of the European Parliament, at a public hearing on Thursday 18 November. Opening the session, the president of the parliamentary committee, Doris Pack (EPP, Germany), lamented the fact that the European Commission has withdrawn a proposal for sport support programmes in 2012 and 2013 and called upon the Parliament to become more proactive in this matter.
Speaking on behalf of the European Commission, Gregory Paulger announced the forthcoming publication of a communication on sport. Without wishing to take over from the responsibilities of the member states in this field, the Commission must ensure that it promotes the social and educational development qualities of sport, stimulate cross-border activities, ensure the correct unfolding of sports competitions and boost research into doping more specifically, he said. The sports organisations expect the Commission to tackle common problems, said Patrick Hickey, the president of the European Olympic Committees, who suggested that European Olympic Games be held. In view of William Gaillard of UEFA, “solidarity and representation are the principal characteristics of the European sporting model”. He went on to observe that professional sport, which represents just one percent of all those who participate in sports, has become “more competitive and less social” Morgens Kirkeby, the president of the International Sport and Culture Association, argued that sport has become less elitist and more universal. For this reason, Michele Colucci, a lecturer in sports law at the University of Tilburg, said that “the EU's attention should focus on amateurs and not just professionals”. He suggested the creation of a sports “Erasmus”, to facilitate exchanges of young sportspeople. This idea won the support of several members of the European Parliament. The question of a lack of funding for sport was central to a number of questions from the floor, from Emma McClarkin (ECR, UK) and Silvia Costa (S&D, Italy) in particular. Emil Stoyanov (EPP, Bulgaria) pleaded for more proactive policies to promote sports for the masses, stating that professional sport should be considered more from an economic angle. In the view of Ivo Belet (EPP, Belgium), both amateur and professional sports clubs need EU support. He proposed a strict system for the granting of licences and possible compensation for clubs investing in “local talent”. Summing up, Doris Pack said that the EU's actions should be limited to a few achievable objectives, rather than getting lost in excessive unrealistic aims. (I.L./transl.fl)