Brussels, 01/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Union is capable of taking action to promote better governance in the sports sector if it uses the instruments it has appropriately and intelligently. This is the opinion expressed by the Commissioner for Sport, Tibor Navracsics, during a meeting with members of the European Parliament inter-group on sport on Tuesday 30 June. In the European work plan for sport 2014-17, the Commissioner explained that they needed to focus on initiatives where the EU is likely to introduce added value. Three objectives are being pursued:
- Fighting extremism and terrorist acts: every resource should be mobilised in order to build bridges between communities and develop greater mutual understanding. Sport has an important role to play in the process to bring communities in member states together, as well as member states themselves together and third countries. In cooperation with the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, Tibor Navracsics, will set up an experts' group to assess the role sport can play in cultural diplomacy.
- Promoting physical activity: an absence of sport can affect health and well being among citizens. This is why the Commissioner intends to promote the role of amateur sport in all its dimensions over the next few years. A high-level advisory group will be set up to help promote an exchange of ideas and good practices between stakeholders and encourage more Europeans to practise sport. The first European Sport Week will be launched on 7 September and will help highlight European initiatives in this area.
- Protecting the integrity of sport: in addition to the fight against match fixing and doping, there has to be a comprehensive improvement in governance in the sport sector. The Commissioner touched on the scandal affecting FIFA and said that “the autonomy of sport federations has limits: Nobody is above the law”. Underlining the economic dimension of sport, which is incontestable given the billions of euros that are produced during sports competitions, the Commissioner explained: “Sports bodies must be subjected to many of the regulations that apply to big business in general”. The experts' group on governance in sport has drawn up principles for greater transparency and responsibility; these principles should be applied by all sports organisations. In the context of FIFA, the organisation has to undergo a complete overhaul and begin on a new footing. Navracsics explained: “We have good governance principles, so we now need to ensure that sport federations put them in place - and that they respect them”.
With regard to European Sport Week, Tibor Navracsics welcomed the fact that other figures in sport had joined up with the four ambassadors already committed to promoting the event (see EUROPE 11330). This initiative involves British athlete Paula Radcliffe, tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, former javelin thrower Tapio Korjus, mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Joël Gonzalez, Olympic gold medallist in Taekwondo, and table tennis player Jean-Michel Saive. (Isabelle Lamberty)