Following the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, what new budgetary support measures will the Commission introduce for sporting initiatives in Member States?

(EN) Following the entry into force of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which gives the EU a new competence to support Member States’ activities in the field of sport, the Commission intends, during the course of this year, to propose new initiatives that will most likely take the form of a political Communication setting out the framework for EU-level cooperation in the field of sport and a proposal for incentive measures in support of it.

For this purpose, consultations with stakeholders have already started, and will be further intensified during the coming months. After this consultation phase, and at the end of the current three-year period of preparatory actions (2009-2011), the Commission will be in a position to propose new incentive measures that would start in 2012. These new measures would respond to the objectives of the Treaty while respecting the competences of the Member States and the sports movement. They would aim at supporting transnational projects put forward by public bodies or civil-society organisations which foster networks and the exchange of good practice in the field of sport.

The nature of the challenges facing Europe means that coordinated action will give European added-value to national initiatives. The Commission’s proposals will respond to the demand for specific measures that support those stakeholders, in particular sports organisations, that are not targeted by existing programmes at European level. The new incentive measures will also help the Union to achieve its objectives in other areas of policy, such as education, health and social inclusion.

The Commission’s proposals will have to take account of the existing room for manoeuvre in the current EU financial framework, which is very limited. The abovementioned consultations will help the Commission to set priorities among the areas that might benefit from its first incentive measures.