Brussels, 26/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - Emine Bozkurt (S&D, Netherlands) has drafted a report for the civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee of the European Parliament (EP) on corruption in sport. The report will be adopted in the autumn. It advocates zero tolerance on corruption in sports. According Bozkurt, match fixing takes place in half of the EU's member states. In Germany, the results of more than 200 football matches have been fixed, affecting several member states and leading to the arrest of 17 people. Turkey, Italy and Finland have also seen cases of corruption, Bozkurt said. “It all makes one thing very clear: match fixing is an 'attractive' crime with high revenues and low risk. It is often accompanied by organised crime, related money laundering, drug and human trafficking. Betting on fixed matches happens on a large scale, benefitting mafia-syndicates. This is unacceptable”, she stated. Europe has very quickly to adopt a harmonised approach to tackle corruption in sport, with the involvement of Europol and Eurojust, Bozkurt argued. She has called on Europol to set up Europe-wide joint investigation teams and to establish close cooperation among member states. “Match fixing should be recognised as a crime in all the member states and be punished with severe sentences”, she said. Sports governing bodies must scrutinise companies that serve as sub-contractors for organising matches before granting licences and show real supervision, she went on. In her report, Bozkurt also highlights efforts to combat doping and says that the fight against doping should be in full compliance with EU law, especially the Charter of Fundamental Rights, privacy and data protection laws and labour laws. “The World Anti-Doping Agency needs to create an accurate and easy to use administration system in line with EU law. The emphasis should be on punishing the use of doping rather than on missed tests”. (I.L./transl.rt)