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Sport and the EU
 The Government held an informal meeting of EU Sports Ministers in Liverpool on 19-20 September 2005, as part of the programme of events for the UK Presidency.
The conclusions from the conference and the agenda are now available below.
The European Union already has a role in many areas of policy that impact on sport. For example, 2004 was the European Year of Education through Sport (EYES 2004). The European Commission funded projects across the EU (including 16 in the UK) aimed at encouraging participation in sport for educational, social and cultural purposes.
EU Ministers for Sport also meet to discuss issues of common interest. These include:
- The fight against doping in sport
- Sport as a means of developing a healthy lifestyle
- The promotion of volunteering in sport
- Combating discrimination in and through sport
EU Presidency's conclusions on sport
As part of the programme of events for the UK Presidency, the Government held an informal meeting of EU Sports Ministers in Liverpool on 19-20 September 2005.
Conclusions
Following the meeting and in the presence of the European Commission, the United Kingdom Presidency affirms that the Ministers:
- Expressed their commitment, by a large majority to signing the Statement of Commitment to ratification of the UNESCO Convention against Doping in Sport at the UNESCO General Conference in October 2005
- Agreed upon the need to review the guiding principles and composition of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) List of Prohibited Substances and Methods, and approved the Presidency's proposal for a process for nominating government representatives to senior positions in WADA, through a cyclical succession to the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair, with rotation between representatives of governments and the Olympic Movement, and by electing a non-Board member as Vice-Chair
- Supported the Presidency's recommendations for promoting equal opportunities and diversity in and through sport at both the national and European levels, namely:
- To present and disseminate examples of good practice in sports participation at forthcoming conferences to be held within the European sports movement
- To consider how the Commission could facilitate the exchange and dissemination of information on the nature and effectiveness of policies among Member States in relation to equality of access to sporting services
- To consider ways to encourage vocational education and training providers in the field of sport and in those fields such as community, youth and social work, in which sport may be used as a policy tool, to ensure that education and training curricula deal with content relating to sport and inter-cultural dialogue
- Supported the priority placed by the Presidency upon the issue of sport and physical activity as a means of promoting public health, and the proposal to create a working group to share good practice in this area and contribute with ideas and proposals for the EU Platform "Diet, Physical Activity and Health"
- Welcomed the participation of Austria, Finland, the Czech Republic, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal and the Commission in the above working group
- Called upon future Presidencies to follow up their discussion of volunteering in sport, by developing proposals for promoting and sustaining the voluntary sector in sport, which they acknowledge to be vital to the sustainability of amateur sport in particular
- Reaffirmed their commitment to the Rolling Agenda agreed during the Dutch Presidency and supported the updated version as tabled during the meeting
- Noted that the Commission and several Member States call upon future Presidencies to include, where possible, an informal meeting of EU Sports Ministers in their plans for sport
- Welcomed the outline of the Austrian Presidency's plans for sport and noted that there will be a meeting of EU Sport Directors in Vienna on 29-30 March 2006
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Conference agenda
Welcomes from the UK Presidency – Rt Hon Richard Caborn MP, Minister for Sport – and Councillor Alan Dean, Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
Agenda item 1: Anti-doping – including the following points for discussion:
- Update on developments
- The UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport
- The WADA Prohibited List
- Capacity building for anti-doping programmes in developing countries
- Nomination process for government representatives seeking appointment to the positions of WADA Chair and Vice-Chair
Agenda item 2: Update on recent developments from European Commission – Commissioner Ján Figel'.
Agenda item 3: Promoting equal opportunities and diversity in and through sport. Speakers: Mr Per Omdal, Vice-President of UEFA and Ms Maureen Taylor, PMP (UK).
Dinner, including short welcome address by Richard Caborn and Councillor John F Walker, Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton.
Agenda item 4: Sport and Health – following up discussions at the April meeting of EU Sports Ministers in Luxembourg. Speaker: Mr Zoran Verovnik, Ministry of Education and Sport, Slovenia.
Agenda item 5: Promotion of volunteering in sport. Discussion of Presidency working paper.
Conclusions and agreement of actions. Update on plans for Austrian Presidency by Mr Karl Schweitzer, Austrian State Secretary for Sports. Closing address by Rt Hon Richard Caborn MP, Minister for Sport.
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