Gdansk, 19/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Union sports directors met for their final meeting under the Polish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers on 14-15 December. They discussed good governance in sport, against a background of the complicated relationship between the independence of sports organisations and the role of member states. “The independence of sports organisations is not absolute. It remains conditional and should depend on the management of the organisation”, said the sports directors at this expert meeting. The European Commission says in its White Paper that the independence and self-regulation of the organisations depends on good governance in sport. “To promote good governance in sport at European level, the Commission and EU member states will adopt common standards through the exchange of best practice and will provide targeted aid to certain initiatives.” This is a point that raised questions among European sports stakeholders. “If the independence of sports organisations depends on the adoption of good governance standards, this raises the question of the role of the state in this relationship. What is the state to do if good governance standards are not met by the organisation, especially if these standards are enshrined in law?” The Danish Presidency of the Council intends to continue discussion of this issue in its sports programme. (VW/transl.rt)