On Tuesday, 2 June, the sports ministers of EU Member States took part in a second informal videoconference to discuss the recovery of the sports sector and its resilience in the future. On this occasion, Commissioner Mariya Gabriel announced the launch, on the same day, of a study to quantify the short-term economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, explaining that the results would be available at the end of August.
The sports sector, like others, has been hit hard by containment measures. At the press conference, the Croatian State Secretary for Sport, Tomislav Družak, noted that while the lifting of restrictions was underway in most Member States, major sporting events were still being cancelled or postponed. When questioned by the press, he said that the conversation had included a brief discussion about the Olympic Games, but had not focused on the specific situation of the Tour de France. “What emerges from this is that the priority of each Member State is to reopen these events depending on their epidemiological situation. If the epidemiological situation is positive [in France], I see no reason not to reopen this competition, just like others”, he said, emphasising that the EU was not sufficiently competent enough to decide.
As for Mariya Gabriel, she mentioned a series of support measures for the sector that have been put in place at European level, mentioning in particular the launch of a study on the impact of the crisis on the sector. She also announced the publication at the end of the month of a report on the implementation of the sports work programme, which will also contain “recommendations for future actions”. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)