A recent survey on sport across Europe has raised a few eyebrows about the number of people who take part. The European Commission survey found that more men do sport than women and people in Northern Europe exercise more than in Southern countries. It also found that people cite health as the main reason for doing exercise. We put some questions to MEPs about the results of the survey and their attitude towards sport.

 

 

Irish MEP Sean Kelly said, "the headline socioeconomic consequence of a less sporty population is higher rates of obesity and related illnesses. This places an extra strain on our health services as they struggle to undo the damage caused by sedentary lifestyles."

 

The Member for the centre right European People's Party added, "more profoundly, physical activity and sport, especially team sports, leads to greater cohesion in society.  To be involved in a sport is to be actively involved in one's community.  The European Year of Volunteering in 2011 will offer a great opportunity to promote and highlight the broader benefits of sport to society."

 

"Regular exercise is an integral part of a genuine well-being and quality of life. Good physical condition harmonises the mind, and mental well-being further strengthens the body. Unfortunately, the general experience has shown that economic well-being brings along laziness - man becomes lazy not only mentally but also physically," according to Finnish Socialist Mitro Repo.

 

Greek Socialist Chrysoula Paliadeli said: "Being directly related to health, sport should be treated as a fundamental priority... the economic crisis is not an excuse for any member state or for any EU decision to diminish the funds for sport and its infrastructures. In the long run they will be faced with heavier economic consequences of a non- or less sporty society."  

 

Italian MEP Iva Zanicchi (EPP): "Sport is important for civil society. Sport is a promoter of values that can also serve to better educate society. But families hit by the economic crisis had to cut some 'unnecessary' costs and perhaps in many cases it was decided to cancel the subscription of the gym or the swim club."

 

 

Sean Kelly: "I can only speak of the country I know best, Ireland, which has the highest rate of participation in physical activity in the EU. Sport in Ireland is characterised by a strong ethic of voluntarism and bottom-up organisation. Local communities in Ireland have not waited for the state to provide services and have gone about organising and funding their own facilities. This is typified by the Gaelic Athletic Association, the largest sporting and voluntary organisation in Ireland of which I am a former President!"

 

Mitro Repo: "The explanations to Scandinavian "sportiness" can be found both in history as well as in socio-geography. Northern Europe is sparsely populated and the distances are long. Throughout history, people have been forced to be on the move in order to survive.  However, the results of the Commission survey should be assessed critically. For example, the Finns are also 'competing' to be the fattest people in the EU..."

 

Chrysoula Paliadeli: "It seems to me that being considered as a luxury, sport is expected to be exercised by people with higher revenues. Educated people are better informed about the importance of exercise for the physical and mental health. From this point of view the results of this specific survey seem quite logical. 

 

"However, the kind of sports practiced in the North and the South of Europe should also be taken into consideration in such surveys, along with climate differences, which may affect the results."

 

Iva Zanicchi: "Maybe because people in Southern Europe are a little bit lazy... Jokes aside, it is clear that the Northern European countries promote sport more. In those countries, children begin to practice sport in elementary schools, and they continue in an even more serious way at the universities... In those countries the 'sports culture' is more rooted than in Southern Europe."

 

 

Sean Kelly: "The European Parliament, with its new powers in this field under Lisbon, should put sport front and centre as a way of engaging with citizens and making its work relevant to the average sportsperson.  The Parliament needs to connect with organisations at grass-roots level and not just focus on elite sports.  Finally, as a concrete proposal, I think we should look at adding 'Sport' to the name of the Committee on Culture and Education - this would be a worthwhile acknowledgement that the Parliament takes sport seriously."

 

Mitro Repo: "I sincerely hope that the Culture Committee produces new ideas in this area, especially on how to encourage people to do more sport on a regular basis. In this respect, every MEP should lead the way and be a role model. More sport instead of empty words and declarations!"

 

Chrysoula Paliadeli: "The EU should encourage, support and supplement member states sport policies and the EP should encourage European citizens to engage in regular physical activities and demand better athletic infrastructures."

 

Iva Zanicchi:  "I believe that the EP and the EU should continue to promote sports.

Sport has a key-role today when it comes to fighting social problems such as racism. Sport also teaches respect for rules, respect for teammates and especially respect for opponents... Sport is often a vehicle for peace!"

 

 

 

What do eight Christian monks in the mountains of North Africa, a troupe of burlesque strip-teasers in Paris and a French gallery owner in Tuscany have in common? They all picked up honours at this years Cannes film festival and all were part financed by the European Union's MEDIA programme. Since 2000 eight of the illustrious Palme d'Or winners have been financed by the EU. Some films have also picked up several Oscars, notably "Slumdog Millionaire".

 

Commented on the awards the Chair of Parliament's Culture Committee Doris Pack MEP said "the results in Cannes are very pleasant but it's not a surprise. It's a sign of the excellent quality of the European films. These films are often made possible thanks to the support of the MEDIA programme".

 

 

The "Grand Prix" - the Festival's second prize after the "Palme d'Or" - was awarded to the French "Of Gods and Men", by French film maker Xavier Beauvois. The film is based on the true story of kidnapping and killing of a group of Christian Monks in the mountains of Algeria by fundamentalist Islamists in 1996.

 

The award for Best Director was given to Frenchman Mathieu Amalric whose "On tour", tells the story a team of Burlesque strip-teasers dreaming of fame and success in Paris.

 

 

Finally, the intriguing French actress Juliette Binoche was awarded the Best Actress prize for the movie "Certified Copy" by Iranian filmaker Abbas Kiarostami. She plays the role of a gallery owner who hooks up with a British art historian in Tuscany.

 

Mrs Pack also stressed the importance of home grown films saying "European films tell European stories, they reveal the European soul. During decades, we only watched Hollywood films and thus the "American way of life".

 

 

This year's European Parliament open day in Strasbourg on 9 May marked the 60th Anniversary of the Schuman Declaration and attracted thousands of visitors. The plenary chamber was fully occupied by "temporary" MEPs -students from all 27 EU member states, whose schools were participating in the Euroscola project giving them an opportunity to taste how European democracy works.

 

EP President Jerzy Buzek welcomed them, saying what a luxury it is to live in a time of peace. "We have replaced wars with European democracy."

 

Czech Euroscola teachers said, "we feel privileged to take part in the Euroscola project, otherwise it would be almost impossible for us to visit the European Parliament."

 

Among the many stands attracting long queues was that of the interpreting service. People were able to test their interpretation skills in real interpreter's booths, with speeches made in the EP by Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton and Nicolas Sarkozy.

 

"I enjoyed the simulation in the interpreter's booth. This is a profession I would like to pursue, but I am not sure whether my language abilities are sufficient," Alessio, a student from Vicenza, said after trying it out.

 

Among other visitors, Alena from Slovakia said, "This is my first visit to the Parliament in Strasbourg and I am overwhelmed by the splendid architecture of the hemicycle" and Ioana, a Romanian student said, "It is great that Romania is part of this great European spectacle. I feel good for my country."

 

The German project "European CNC Network - Train for Europe" was awarded the first prize in the European Charlemagne Youth Prize competition on 11 May in Aachen. The project brought together 24 vocational schools to build a small-gauge locomotive and wagons.

 

Second and third prizes went to "You are here", an Irish book project and "Best Engineering Competition BEC" from Bulgaria, respectively.

 

The European Charlemagne Youth Prize is awarded to projects that promote European understanding and foster the development of a shared sense of European identity.

 

The three winning projects will be awarded funding of €5,000, €3,000 and €2,000. Representatives from each project will also be invited to visit the European Parliament in the coming months.

 

Read more about the three winning projects and the national winner from your country below.