The Council of the EU shows its support for the sport sector, which is particularly affected by the restrictive measures in place in most Member States. Following the last meeting of the working group responsible for these issues, the Member States are preparing to adopt by tacit agreement a work programme for sport 2021-2024 and conclusions on cross-sectoral cooperation.
While sport is not a European competence as such, the Lisbon Treaty, in its Article 6, provides that the EU shall support, coordinate and complement the actions of the Member States.
Action plan 2021-2024
The draft resolution establishing a new work programme for sport replaces the previous plan, which covered the period 2017-2020. It identifies three priority areas for action: protecting integrity and values in sport, the socio-economic and environmental dimensions in sport, and promoting participation in healthy physical activity and sport. In terms of objectives, it identifies integrity and values, resilience and recovery from the pandemic, sustainable policy, participation, link with other policies, international dimension, sharing of experience, European cooperation and implementation of the sport chapter of the Erasmus programme.
In terms of concrete actions, it invites the Commission to consider setting up a platform “to store and exchange reports, best practices or relevant documents to facilitate information sharing between Member States”. It requests the Commission to submit a report on the implementation of the work programme in the second half of 2023.
Cross-sectoral cooperation
The draft conclusions related to cross-sectoral cooperation express concern about the stagnation or even decrease in the number of people participating in physical activity and sport.
It recalls the EU Council Conclusions of 29 June 2020 on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the recovery of the sport sector, which invite Member States to “promote cross-sectoral cooperation and consultations in areas that are relevant to sport at all levels, including with the sport movement, the sport-related business sector and other relevant stakeholders”. This is in order to effectively address the challenges facing the sport sector as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and to strengthen the position of sport in society. The document notes that the pandemic has, to a large extent, affected the practice of sport and physical activity.
It calls on Member States to commit themselves to this sector, and in particular to take greater account of the benefits of sport in their political decisions, to promote and encourage long-term cross-sectoral cooperation at different levels, to involve all stakeholders and to inform them of the possibilities for EU funding to support cross-sectoral projects. See work plan: https://bit.ly/32axAu9 and conclusions: https://bit.ly/3644ZYE (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)