Brussels, 14/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Council Troika, gathering together the Sports Ministers from Sweden, France and Belgium, met, last week, Commissioner Viviane Reding, to discuss:
1) Follow-up to Nice declaration on specificity of sport. Viviane Reding felt that the debate which is opening on the future of the Union should also cover the place of sport on the European Union, in the light of the political declaration on the specificity of sport, approved in Nice by the Heads of State and Government. She noted that several Member States want a "better anchoring of sport in the European treaty"; this theme could thus be part of the "declaration" which will be adopted during the Laeken Summit next December.
The Swedish Minister indicated that during his Presidency, he intends to grant a priority to sport for the handicapped, Mrs Reding brought her support to this aim and suggested that, to start with, the truly representative organisation in this sector should be identified.
Moreover, Mrs Reding confirmed her desire that 2004 be declared the European year of sport, it being the year when the Olympic games will return to European soil (Athens). The three Ministers supported this position.
2) Role of the EU within the World Anti-doping Agency. Mrs Reding announced that the Commission would soon rule on its initiative aiming for a Community contribution to the financing of the World Anti-doping Agency (WAA) initiative, which will be specified as soon as the WAA will have presented its work programme and budgetary forecasts. The EU's participation as such has been favoured by the Nice Summit as of 2002.
The WAA will be financed in part by the States participating and the sporting world. The share that will fall onto Europe (Member States and EU) must still be determined. The place of Europe in the governing bodies must be in relation to the financial effort that it contributes. The seat must be chosen. The WAA is provisionally located in Lausanne. Six cities are candidates for the permanent seat, of which four in the EU (Bonn, Lille, Stockholm and Vienna), and Lausanne and Montreal. The EU has not, or not yet, a single candidate.
The Commission is preparing three studies on doping: causes, health protection for young athletes, communication aspects. They will be made public in September.