Brussels, 09/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Union's Ministers of Sport will be examining on Wednesday, at an informal meeting in Lisbon, ways of preserving the social and educational functions of sport in Europe. A "European model" of sport must be protected and improved, given the excesses of the "business of sport", a problem the European Commission plans to address in liaison with the Member States.
The European Commission presented at the Helsinki European Summit, in December, a report on the protection of existing sport structures, which will be discussed for the first time by the Ministers of Sport. "It is ready to propose a working method to provide a common response to questions such as the protection of the autonomy of sports organisations in relation to economic interests, encouragement for clubs to train young players and solidarity between high-level and basic sport, professional and amateur sport", explained the spokesman for Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Sport, who will represent the Commission at the Lisbon meeting.
The 1995 Bosman ruling, which made illegal the limits imposed by the UEFA on the number of European players used by clubs on the field and transfer compensation for players coming to the end of their contracts, will be uppermost in everyone's minds. "But it is out of the question to try to get a reversal of this decision or to deny the application to professional sport of principles like non-discrimination and free movement", explained the spokesman. Out of 40 federations (which the Commission met in Brussels on 17 April, see EUROPE of 21 April, p. 9), 39 are managing very well with free movement, which only poses a problem to the UEFA, continued the spokesman. "This meeting will focus on much more interesting subjects."
At the "troïka" meeting (Finland, Portugal, France), the Sport Ministers discussed the drafting of a protocol to be annexed to the EU Treaty within the framework of the Intergovernmental Conference, as a means of recognising the social role of sport and its specific nature (see EUROPE of 20 & 21 March, p. 12). The Commission does not support this measure, explained Mrs Reding's spokesman, because it finds that it would be inappropriate to add this issue to the work of the IGC. Certain delegations are nonetheless interested in the possibility of amending the EU Treaty to ensure that the Commission has a sufficient legal basis to undertake action programmes in the field of sport.
The Fifteen will also be addressing the question of combating illegal drug use. The world anti-doping agency has been in existence on a provisional basis since the start of the year and "we are satisfied with the way it is working", said Mrs Reding's spokesman. The Commissioner nonetheless recently voiced concern about the loss of influence of Europeans within its administrative bodies (see EUROPE of 27 April, p. 9). "The Commission is not ready to continue playing a role in these conditions. It will only be submitting a proposal for definitive Community participation starting in 2002 if there is a strong political will among the Fifteen in favour of such participation. In the absence of a clear position by ministers, the Europeans' participation will have to be on an intergovernmental basis and will not rely on the EU budget", continued the spokesman. Ministers are expected to state in Lisbon whether they are prepared to support strong EU participation or whether they prefer the intergovernmental option.