On Wednesday 16 July, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) adopted an own-initiative report on ‘The role of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model’, tabled by Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski (EPP, Polish). All the compromise amendments were adopted.
The text stresses “commitment (...) (of the Parliament) to defending the European Sport Model in which sport serves societal objectives”. It makes “the need to protect the European Sport Model, ensuring the ongoing sustainable development of sport from grassroots to professional and at regional, national and European levels” an overriding objective.
This model is based on principles such as “solidarity, sustainability, integrity, inclusiveness, open competition and sporting merit”.
The report also calls for “stronger links between professional and grassroots sport through more effective solidarity mechanisms” and invites the European Commission to “present a long-term strategy on sports policy”.
MEPs also advocate more transparent and inclusive sports governance, with greater inclusion of the voices of athletes and supporters.
The report also calls for greater respect for the fundamental rights of sportsmen and women, including “freedom of association, collective bargaining, nondiscrimination, decent working conditions and occupational health and safety principles”.
The draft report: https://aeur.eu/f/hwr
The amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/hws (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)