The EU gained responsibilities for sport under the Treaty of Lisbon, which came into effect in December 2009. The EU is now responsible for developing evidence-based policy, fostering cooperation and managing initiatives to support physical activity and sport across Europe. A specific funding was established for the first time under the first Erasmus+ programme (2014-2020) to support sports-related projects and networks.
Legal basis
Although the Treaties did not mention a specific EU legal competence for sport before 2009, the Commission laid the foundations of an EU policy for sport with the 2007 White Paper on Sport and the Pierre de Coubertin action plan.
With the Lisbon Treaty, the EU acquired a specific competence in the field of sport. Article 6(e) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) confers on the EU the competence to support or supplement the actions of the Member States in the field of sport, while Article 165(1) sets out the details of a sports policy, stating that the Union ‘shall contribute to the promotion of European sporting issues, while taking account of the specific nature of sport, its structures based on voluntary activity and its social and educational function’. Article 165(2) refers to ‘developing the European dimension in sport, by promoting fairness and openness in sporting competitions and cooperation between bodies responsible for sports, and by protecting the physical and moral integrity of sportsmen and sportswomen, especially the youngest’. Finally, according to Article 165(3) TFEU, ‘the Union and the Member States shall foster cooperation with third countries and the competent international organisations in the field of education and sport, in particular the Council of Europe’. The EU thus has a legal basis to support the sports sector structurally with the Erasmus+ programme, and to speak with one voice in international forums and non-EU countries. EU ministers for sport also meet in the Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council meetings. At the same time, the EU exercises its soft law powers in closely related areas such as education, health and social inclusion through funding programmes.
Objectives
The creation of a specific sports competence in the Treaties opened up new possibilities for EU action on sport. The EU works to promote greater fairness and openness in sporting competitions and to better protect the moral and physical integrity of sportspeople while taking account of the specific nature of sport. Furthermore, the EU supports the idea that sport can improve general well-being, help overcome wider societal issues such as racism, social exclusion and gender inequality, provide significant economic benefits across the Union and that it is an important tool in the EU’s external relations. In particular, the EU is concerned with three aspects: (1) the societal role of sport; (2) its economic dimension; and (3) the political and legal framework of the sports sector.
Achievements
A. Policy developments
1. The White Paper on Sport and the Pierre de Coubertin action plan
The Commission’s 2007 White Paper on Sport was the first ‘comprehensive initiative’ on sport by the EU. Through the implementation of the proposed actions, the Commission gathered useful evidence on issues to be addressed in the future. The White Paper envisioned a number of objectives, including, among others:
- Enhancing the societal role of sport;
- Promoting public health through physical activity;
- Boosting volunteer activities;
- Enhancing the economic dimension of sport and the free movement of players;
- Fighting doping, corruption and money laundering;
- Controlling media rights.
2. Developing the European dimension in sport
The Commission’s White Paper on Sport and the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 paved the way for the Commission communication of January 2011, ‘Developing the European Dimension in Sport’. This communication addressed the overall role of sport, in particular as regards employability, social inclusion and public health. It also focused on aspects related to international sports events, including the signature of the Anti-Doping Convention of the Council of Europe, safety arrangements and requirements for sports events, as well as standards for the accessibility of sports events and venues for persons with disabilities. Finally, it also referred to economic matters related to sports (the collective selling of media rights, intellectual property rights, transparent and sustainable sports financing and the application of State aid law in sport).
3. The EU Work Plan for Sport
The EU Work Plan for Sport is one of the most important EU documents on sports policy. It focuses on the Union’s key activities in the field and acts as a guidance instrument for the promotion of cooperation between EU institutions, Member States and sports stakeholders.
The first Work Plan for Sport (2011-2014) was adopted by the Council in 2011. The current EU Work Plan for Sport (1 July 2024 – 31 December 2027) was adopted in May 2024. It sets out three priorities: 1) protect integrity and values in sport; 2) socio-economic and environmental dimensions in sport; and 3) promote participation in sport and health-enhancing physical activity.
B. Actions and programmes
1. Erasmus+
Sport is an integral part of Erasmus+, the programme for EU action in the field of education, training, youth and sport. The current programme for 2021-2027 allocates 1.9% of its overall budget to sport.
Promoting ‘learning mobility of sport staff, as well as cooperation, quality, inclusion, creativity and innovation at the level of sport organisations and sport policies’ was emphasised as one of three key objectives of the current Erasmus+ programme. Actions to attain this objective include, inter alia, fostering mobility, especially for staff in grassroots sports, increasing virtual learning possibilities, creating partnerships for cooperation and exchanges of best practices, including small-scale partnerships, fostering wider and more inclusive access to the programme, and supporting non-profit sporting events that promote issues of relevance to grassroots sports.
An EU-wide ‘European Sport Day’ was first proposed by Parliament in its February 2012 resolution on the European dimension in sport. In September 2015, the European Week of Sport (EWOS) was launched, with the aim of promoting sport and physical activity across Europe at national, regional and local levels and encouraging European citizens to lead a better, healthier lifestyle. As a 2022 Eurobarometer survey showed, 62% of Europeans never or seldom exercise or play a sport. As a result, people’s health and well-being suffer, as does the economy, and this leads to increased spending on healthcare, loss of productivity in the workplace and reduced employability.
Since 2017, the EWOS has been held between 23 and 30 September all across Europe, with Member States and partner countries organising a wide range of activities and events. In 2023, 36 000 events took place involving nearly 11 million people.
3. Projects for social inclusion
Social inclusion is among the EU’s top priorities for the role of sport in society. By bringing people together and building communities, sport can make an important contribution to the integration of migrants in the EU. The Commission supports projects and networks promoting the social inclusion of migrants through the Erasmus+ programme.
4. Awards
Since 2022, the Commission has handed out the #BeActive and #BeInclusive awards. These award programmes reward innovative ideas and initiatives developed in Europe by individuals or organisations to promote sport and physical activities. They also promote ‘breaking down social barriers’ through sport in order to bring people together and help create a sense of European identity.
Role of the European Parliament
In Parliament, the development of a European sports policy falls under the competence of the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT). In 2012, Parliament adopted a resolution on the European dimension in sport, which paved the way for the EWOS. In addition, Parliament addressed the issues of gender equality in sport in March 2015, as well as the role of sport in the fight against racismin March 2022.
Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) has regularly discussed human rights in the context of large sporting events hosted in countries such as Russia (Winter Olympics 2014), Brazil (FIFA Men’s World Cup 2014, Summer Olympics 2016) and Qatar (FIFA Men’s World Cup 2022). Following a first hearing on sports and human rights focusing on the situation of migrant workers in Qatar in February 2014, a joint hearing on human rights violations in connection with large sporting events was held in 2015 together with the CULT Committee.
Parliament has also been very active in the fight against match-fixing and corruption in sport, adopting a resolution on the subject in March 2013. This was followed by a resolution in June 2015 on revelations on high-level corruption cases in FIFA and a resolution in February 2017 entitled ‘An integrated approach to Sport Policy: good governance, accessibility and integrity’.
In its amendments to the Commission proposal on the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme, Parliament proposed reallocating parts of the Erasmus+ budget in order to ensure that more young athletes and sports coaches have the opportunity to participate in mobility schemes.
On 10 February 2021, Parliament adopted a resolution on the impact of COVID-19 on youth and sport in which the Commission was asked to develop a European approach to tackling the negative effects of the pandemic on the sports sector.
On 23 November 2021, Parliament adopted a resolution entitled ‘EU sports policy: assessment and possible ways forward’. Therein, different actions are recommended, such as more funding for grassroots sports, better regulation of player transfers, equal pay and greater visibility for women in sports, better protection of children in sport and an increase in the number of hours allotted to physical activities in schools. The creation of an ‘EU sport coordinator’ tasked with enhancing cross-sectoral cooperation was also suggested.
Lastly, on 10 November 2022 a resolution on esports and videogames was adopted, in which Parliament concludes that esports and sport are different sectors. This resolution called on the Commission to draw up a charter to promote European values in esports competitions and to consider the creation of a visa for esports personnel. Parliament recognises the potential of sports video games and virtual sports for exploring new forms of fan engagement and increasing youth participation in physical activities, but acknowledges the need to safeguard esports from match-fixing and illegal gambling. It believes that the EU should adopt a responsible approach to video games and esports by promoting them as part of a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity, in-person social interaction and involvement in cultural activities.
For more information on this topic, please see the website of the Committee on Culture and Education.
Kristiina Milt