EN Official Journal of the European Union C 425/1

Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on further developing the EU Structured Dialogue on sport

(2017/C 425/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES,

RECALLING:

1. The Council Resolution of 18 November 2010 on the EU Structured Dialogue on Sport and the experience gained from its application over the past seven years;

2. The 3rd European Union Work Plan for Sport for the years 2017-2020, which acknowledges the need for appropriate cooperation with the sport stakeholders, inter alia, through the structured dialogue, and its invitation to the Presidencies of the Council to consider the evaluation of the structured dialogue with the sport movement;

NOTING:

3. The discussion at the Informal meeting of the EU Sport Directors that took place in Tallinn on 12-13 July 2017, where views about the application of the 2010 resolution were exchanged;

CONSIDER THAT:

4. the 2010 Resolution successfully consolidated the various elements of the dialogue at EU level between public administrations and sport stakeholders, and added an important high level component, thereby providing an important underpinning to EU sport policies and other EU cooperation in the field of sport;

5. nevertheless a renewed effort is needed to optimise the functioning of this dialogue to ensure that it fulfils the objective of providing for a continuous and well-structured exchange of views between sport stakeholders in the EU on priorities, implementation and follow-up to EU cooperation in the field of sport;

AGREE THAT:

6. the application of the 2010 resolution should be improved with greater overall flexibility, greater openness to the participation of the sports movement and better coordinated advance planning and preparation by Council Presidencies in cooperation with the Commission;

7. in addition, the existing high-level dialogue component should be improved with a better planned agenda on topics with EU added value, as well as improved feedback towards stakeholders;

8. in addition, there is a need to complete the existing model of the EU structured dialogue on sport by adding an operational level component, which, taking place in the margins of the existing events, would enable to hold more practical discussions at the executive level;

IN THE LIGHT OF THE ABOVE, AGREE THAT:

9. the EU structured dialogue on sport is a regular dialogue between the EU and its Member States, the representatives of international, particularly European, sport movement and other relevant sport stakeholders, such as organisations representing athletes or coaches, with the aim of mutual cooperation and successful definition and implementation of sports policies;

10. The main structures of the EU structured dialogue on sport are: — the EU Sport Forum as an important platform for structured dialogue between the European institutions and sport stakeholders with the main objective to take stock of progress achieved in implementing the EU agenda for sport and to seek stakeholders’ views on current, planned or possible future activities; — the EU high-level structured dialogue on sport in the margin of the meeting of the Council of the EU as an opportunity for EU ministers responsible for sport to meet the highest representatives of sports movement, European institutions and other relevant sport stakeholders; — the EU operational-level structured dialogue on sport in the margin of the meeting of the EU Sports Directors or other informal Presidency events as an opportunity for EU Sports Directors to meet senior and high level representatives of the international sport movement and other relevant sport stakeholders;

CONSEQUENTLY INVITE THE PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL TO:

11. develop further the EU high level structured dialogue on sport, held in the margin of the meeting of the Council of the EU, by showing greater flexibility compared to the terms set in the 2010 resolution, especially with regard to the format of the meeting;

12. consider well in advance the most appropriate way to achieve structured dialogue with the sports movement and other relevant sport stakeholders, using, as appropriate, structured dialogue meetings in the margin of the Council meeting and/or the participation of high level guests in Council meetings, in Informal meetings of Ministers or at EU Sports Directors´ meetings, and ensure that the agenda topic and practical modalities of the option chosen are prepared at an early stage;

13. enhance transparency with regard to high level dialogue meetings, in particular by reporting in full to all Member States on the structured dialogue meetings on sport where participation is limited;

14. consider, if appropriate, a long term approach, in cooperation with Trio Presidencies, when planning topics for the structured dialogue, taking into account EU Work Plan for Sport;

INVITE THE MEMBER STATES TO:

15. promote, disseminate and discuss EU sports policy documents, with sports movement at national level on a regular basis;

INVITE THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO:

16. communicate, when appropriate, to the sport movement any horizontal issues, which can be of interest of sport;

17. include, where appropriate, as participants or observers, the representatives of sport movement and other relevant stakeholders in the field of sport in the work of the Expert Groups of the European Commission and at other relevant events;

18. develop a structure for communicating EU sports policy documents to European and international sports movement on a regular basis, for example: — dissemination of relevant EU policy documents to leading European sport umbrella organisations and better communicating with sports movement and other relevant stakeholders; — by organising an annual seminar or session, dedicated to introducing newly adopted Council Conclusions and other policy documents to the sport movement, for example within the programme of the EU Sport Forum;

INVITE THE SPORTS MOVEMENT TO:

19. engage more actively in the structured dialogue at EU level, and in particular ensure participation in the relevant structure at an appropriate level;