Policies

SPORT

Sport has become one of the most popular human activities. Be it in a professional or amateur capacity, regular or occasional, millions of people take part in the various forms of physical exercise and sport that exist in the EU. Sport plays an important role, from both an economic and social point of view. Amongst other things it contributes to social inclusion and integration, encourages cultural exchanges and creates jobs in the EU.

The Treaties did not confer any specific competence for sport on the Community. The inclusion in the Treaty of Amsterdam (1997) of a declaration on sport and a declaration on the 'specific characteristics' of sport in the Treaty of Nice (2000) were significant political milestones in this regard.

Nevertheless, at the instigation of the EPP-ED Group and thanks to the latter's political work in this area, an explicit reference to sport (concerning its social and educational dimension) has been included in the draft constitutional treaty. Sport is, in fact, a way of integrating and participating in social life. It also promotes tolerance and respect for differences and rules, and helps to combat exclusion, xenophobia and racism. The EPP-ED Group also championed the idea of further enhancing the educational aspect of sport by linking it to formal education programmes, such as school curricula, or non-formal ones, such as the promotion of voluntary work and of the role of sports associations and federations.

Europe is the continent that organises the largest number of transnational sports competitions. This is potentially a tremendous opportunity for regional development and for promoting sport among citizens, which is one of the priorities of the European Year of Education through Sport in 2004.

• European Year of Education through Sport (2004)
  The aim of the Year (2004) is to promote sport as an educational tool and to raise the profile of sport in society. The Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Athens in 2004 will provide an opportunity to further promote sporting values. Thanks to the commitment of educational institutions and sports organisations, activities relating to the educational dimension of sport and the voluntary sector will be organised at Community, national and regional levels.
  
  
• The Community support plan to combat doping in sport attaches great importance to fostering and promoting ethical values in sport and to better protecting the health of sportspersons. The European Union is about to enter into a partnership with the World
  Anti-Doping Agency.
  
  
• Sport and the audiovisual sector
  Under the 'Television without Frontiers' directive, Member States may draw up a list of events to be broadcast in unencoded form in accordance with the general interest of each country. The broadcasting of sports events and, in particular, the sale of exclusive broadcasting rights is a commercial activity to which Community competition laws apply. The sale of exclusive broadcasting rights is an established and accepted commercial practice.
  

Sport is a vector of social cohesion and active citizenship and thus gives true added value to Community action in this area.


Véronique Donck