Brussels, 06/07/2000 (Agence Europe) - On the fifth day of the French EU Presidency, Marie-George Buffet, Minister for Youth and Sport, received, in Paris, her Portuguese and Swedish counterparts as well as Sports Commissioner Vivianne Reding, to discuss the priorities of the next six months. Items on the agenda mainly concern the fight against doping and the safeguarding of the European sport model.
France managed to have the "conclusions" of the European Summit in Feira affirm the need to "take into account the specific characteristics of sport". At present, "its aim is to have at least a declaration annexed to the Treaty during the European Council of Nice", (in December), on the specific nature of sport, said an official at the European Commission. Ms Buffet presented a discussion paper on Wednesday dealing with the powers of sports federations, training policies, TV broadcasting rights, player transfers and the protection of young athletes. It will be discussed, among the Fifteen, by the working group set in place in May following the meeting of EU sports ministers in Lisbon (see EUROPE of 12 May, p.12).
"Mrs. Buffet has already announced that she was working with Mrs. Reding on a community initiative on the protection of the health of young sports people, that could be based on a 1994 directive on the protection of the young at work", said the spokesperson for Commissioner Viviane Reding. She also wants to reaffirm the monopoly of federations over the organisation of sports competitions and the definition of the rules of sport. "The attempts by the G14 to create a parallel European football cup with the richest clubs have so far failed. But for how long? With much less media-hype, basketball has just succeeded. If we do not confirm the role of the federations, all commercial appetites will emerge" she told Equip on Wednesday, the French sports paper.
Another major French priority will be the fight against drugs in sport. The ministers of the Troika (Portugal, France, Sweden) reaffirmed the need for a Community participation in the World Anti Drugs Agency (AMA) from 2002, even though the United Kingdom is still strongly against this (see EUROPE of 11 May, p.7). Before 2002 (date when AMA will take on its definitive status: Ed.), they decided that it was essential to consult together, to stop the decline of the influence of the Europeans within AMA. "The problem is that the European Union has only one representative on AMA's executive committee and that the Commission is but an observer", Mrs. Reding's spokesperson commented. Mrs. Buffet thus proposed the creation of a liaison committee made up of the sports ministers of the Troika and the Commission, which could prepare European stances before the meetings of the AMA. This plan will be put to the Fifteen at the meeting of EU sports ministers, in Paris on 6 November.
Between now and then, Mrs. Buffet will go before the European Parliament on 7 September, and a European sports forum will be organised, in Lille on 26 and 27 October.