EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 7.7.2020 COM(2020) 293 final REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation and relevance of the European Union









Work Plan for Sport 2017-2020



COMMISSION REPORT TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation and relevance of the European Union

Work Plan for Sport 2017-2020 INTRODUCTION Sport has gained a solid place amongst EU policies in the last years given its increasing role in today’s economy and society thus contributing to meeting the EU’s overarching economic and social challenges. Sport has the unique power not only to improve people’s health and well-being but also to build strong and cohesive communities, to address challenges related to migration and social exclusion, as well as to foster economic growth and job creation. By transcending social barriers and languages, sport can promote common values and create a sense of belonging in society, particularly amongst young people. It can help to tackle growing concerns related to the lack of physical activity. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted sport severely, has highlighted the major contribution of sport to health ant its potential in terms of prevention. However, beyond the many challenges that it is posing to sport from the grassroots to the elite level, the pandemic has underlined even more the importance of sport for our societies as a factor fostering health, well-being and unity through challenging times. Following the inclusion of sport in the Lisbon Treaty and in line with Article 165 of TFEU, the EU institutions and the Member States have strengthened their cooperation and further developed the European dimension of sport. The EU cooperation has particularly focused on areas where the EU can add value to the activities carried out by Member States and support their actions. In this context, the EU Work Plan for Sport has become one of the main tools to foster cooperation at EU level. Since 2011, there have been three EU Work Plans for Sport. Their main goal has been to promote and develop cooperation in sport policy between EU institutions, Member States and sport stakeholders, focusing on a specific number of activities with a clear EU added-value. The third EU Work Plan for Sport has covered the period 1 July 2017-31 December 2020. Its implementation has contributed to the overarching priorities set in the Europe 2020 Strategy and in the Agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change. It was supported by the Erasmus+ programme (2014-2020), thus ensuring complementarity and greater impact of activities in the field of sport. It has maintained the focus on the same priority themes as its predecessor, namely on: -Integrity of sport -Economic dimension of sport -Sport and society In terms of structure and general working arrangements, the third EU Work Plan for Sport has maintained the main features of the previous one with some improvements and new developments. The present report is in response to the Commission’s obligation to make an assessment of the implementation and relevance of the EU Work Plan for Sport during the first half of 2020, and it will serve as a basis for the preparation of a possible fourth EU Work Plan for Sport during the second half of 2020. The report of the Commission has two main aims: on the one hand, to provide an assessment on the implementation and the broader policy impact of the EU Work Plan for Sport, and on the other hand, to put forward recommendations for future actions in the field of sport. The Commission’s assessment takes into account various inputs, including written contributions submitted by the Member States, as well as the opinions of experts and observers participating in the working structures. B) EVALUATION As in previous editions, the evaluation of the third EU Work Plan for Sport by the Commission followed a consultation process with various stakeholders. The Commission organised two meetings, one with the Member States and one with sport organisations, to collect their views on the implementation of the Work Plan, including on lessons learned, and get recommendations for the future. These meetings were complemented by an online questionnaire, which allowed the Commission to also gather useful evidence and statistical data from Member States as well as experts and observers participating in the working structures. The analysis of the information received has shown that the implementation of the third EU Work Plan for Sport has met the overall expectations and objectives. However, despite its good achievements and efficient delivery, the third EU Work Plan for Sport can benefit from further improvements and integrate new areas of action in the future.

1.Working methods and structures The evaluation of the established working methods and structures is an important aspect, as they are key for the efficient delivery on the priorities and objectives of the EU Work Plan for Sport. The current EU Work Plan for Sport has largely updated and diversified the working methods. Beyond expert groups, new working methods have been introduced and actively used. Furthermore, the EU Work Plan for Sport has also become an efficient tool to plan the Presidency and Council’s work. During the previous EU Work Plans for Sport, expert groups were the main working method. In the past, there have been six expert groups for the implementation of the EU Work Plan for Sport 2011-2014 and five for 2014-2017. The Commission took a more targeted approach, setting up only two expert groups for the 2017-2020 period. These two groups were chaired by the Commission and composed of Member States' representatives. Interested stakeholders could also be invited to participate as observers on an ad-hoc basis (see the Annex). The two expert groups started their activities in early 2018. Both groups have been working towards delivering the outputs foreseen in the EU Work Plan for Sport. The main goal of the expert groups was to exchange best practices in the selected policy areas, to encourage cooperation amongst Member States and to contribute to policy developments at the national and European level. The implementation of previous EU Work Plans for Sport has shown that the structures and working methods could be further extended to efficiently achieve the objectives of the document and allow for more active involvement of other international partners and stakeholders. Some of these structures are Presidency conferences, meetings of Sport Ministers and Directors as well as Commission conferences, seminars and studies. During the third EU Work Plan for Sport, two new tools were introduced, namely, the groups of interested Member States, which allowed Member States to meet and discuss a specific topic covered in the EU Work Plan for Sport, and the cluster meetings, which foster exchanges on policy-relevant outcomes of EU funded projects. In the period 2017-2019 four meetings of interested Member States took place to discuss particular issues of their concern, such as sustainability, evidence based health-enhancing physical activity as wells as different aspects of good governance and match-fixing. To support Member States and create stronger links between policy and programme, the Commission put in place a dedicated financial mechanism. It allows obtaining EU co-funding for Member States-driven initiatives aiming at promoting peer learning activities amongst at least seven of them. Furthermore, by the end of 2019, four cluster meetings have been organised, in cooperation with EACEA (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency), on: encouraging participation in sport and physical activity (December 2017), the economic benefits of sport (April 2018), the integrity of sport (December 2018) and the role of sport in education (December 2019). Another cluster meeting on social inclusion through sport will be organised in December 2020. In addition, for the period 2017-2019 a large number of high level meetings and conferences have taken place (for example an informal meeting of Sport Ministers, ten Presidency events and conferences and five Sport Directors’ meetings). As envisaged in the EU Work Plan for Sport, all these meetings have contributed to further strengthening the cooperation between Member States, the EU institutions and sport stakeholders. They have allowed to improve EU coordination, to have exchanges on national experiences, to share good practices and to ensure that sport stakeholders have a say in the shaping and implementation of the EU sport agenda. Sport federations, associations and other stakeholders have a central role in implementing sport policy. Therefore, it is of major importance to ensure that their views are known and taken into account during policy discussions. In terms of widening cooperation, concrete efforts were made to more closely involve sport organisations and stakeholders in EU activities, including in the implementation of the EU Work Plan for Sport. In particular, an enhanced dialogue with sport organisations was established and maintained in the framework of different meetings and events in compliance with the Council Resolution on further developing the EU Structured dialogue in sport. The sport movement took an active part in the annual EU Sport Forums and meetings organised in the margin of the Council or Sport Directors’ meetings. 2.Outputs The third EU Work Plan for Sport defines 31 concrete deliverables which are different in nature. They cover sport in all its dimensions: social, economic or organisational, and have a specific implementation structure. Most of the deliverables have been completed or are in the process of being accomplished. Only three of them have not been implemented, given that EU Council Presidencies and Member States had the flexibility to adapt their priorities in the course of the implementation of the EU Work Plan for Sport. The two expert groups remained at the core of the EU Work Plan for Sport activities: -The Expert Group on Integrity in Sport met five times in 2018-2020. It was composed of 27 Member States and 22 observers. It focused specifically on the fight against corruption, match fixing and doping, as well as promoting integrity and safeguarding children in sport. To support the work of this expert group, the Commission financed two studies. The first mapped corruption in sport in Europe while the second identified measures to safeguard children in sport. -The Expert Group on Skills and Human Resources Development in Sport met five times in 2018-2020. The group was composed of 26 Member States and 8 Observers. It focused on the education of coaches, dual careers and professional qualifications and skills in sport. The expert group was tasked to draft Guidelines regarding the minimum requirements in skills and competences for coaches. This document was finalised in February 2020 and disseminated in all Member States for implementation. In addition, amongst the various outcomes of the current EU Work Plan for Sport, the following ones can be highlighted: -The seminar on the Specificity of Sport took place in December 2019. Its aim was to deepen the discussion amongst key stakeholders, including practitioners, on autonomy of sport and the applicability of EU law to sport matters. -The cluster meetings represented a success both in terms of diversity of perspectives and the subjects of discussion. In particular, they brought together a broad range of actors in the field of sport such as Member States, public authorities, universities, sport organisations, etc. They allowed open dialogue between policy makers and entities implementing projects at grassroots level covering priority issues such as health-enhancing physical activity, education in and through sport, integrity in sport and the economic dimension of sport. In addition, cluster meetings were a unique opportunity for identifying policy-relevant outcomes of Erasmus+ sport projects as well as for exchanging ideas on their impact on decision-making. -The newly created format of “groups of interested Member States” generated a strong interest since it corresponded to the initial expectations of working together by interested and volunteering countries on a given subject without the need to create a specific Commission’s expert group. The new method proved to be particularly flexible and useful to address emerging needs and priorities and has the potential to be used more often in the future.

3.Stakeholder’s feedback on the implementation of the EU Work Plan for Sport The Commission, the Member States and most of the stakeholders generally considered the first and second EU Work Plans for Sport successful. The overall message from the online consultation of stakeholders was that the activities carried out under the current EU Work Plan for Sport led to good results in the defined priority areas. The vast majority of respondents agreed that the document focused on the right priorities (91%), and that it improved coordination in the area of sport at EU level (72%). 78% of respondents agreed that the EU Work Plan for Sport introduced appropriate structures and working methods. A large number of stakeholders also found that the EU Work Plan for Sport led to fruitful outcomes in terms of policy process. However, while the third EU Work Plan for Sport ensured continuity in terms of priorities, it also brought some substantial changes in several respects. In particular, it diversified the working methods and introduced a major rationalisation of the expert groups, which were reduced from five to two. Furthermore, the three-and-a-half year planning of the activities helped to build momentum and deliver quality results for each of the activities. The planning, for instance, supported the work of the EU Council and included the preparation of Council conclusions and Presidency conferences and events. The implementation of the EU Work Plan for Sport was shared between the EU Council Presidencies, the European Commission and the Member States. There was also a clear wish to avoid the excessive production of guidelines, reports or written documents by the expert groups. At the same time, sport organisations and stakeholders were closely associated to those meetings and participated with great interest and commitment to many other activities such as the cluster meetings. There a major improvement on two points compared to the second EU Work Plan for Sport. 1)Firstly, the third EU Work Plan for Sport strengthened the cooperation between the EU and the sport organisations according to 80% of respondents. This figure was 69% in the evaluation of the second EU Work Plan for Sport. 2)Secondly, 62% of the respondents agreed that the third EU Work Plan for Sport enhanced cooperation between Member States and the sport movement at national level, compared to only 46% in the evaluation of the second EU Work Plan for Sport. This increase shows that the efforts to support openness in the working methods and strengthen cooperation went in the right direction. Based on the written comments of Member States, the following conclusions can be drawn: ·The format of the EU Work Plan for Sport is appropriate as it provides possibilities for Member States and sport organisations but also to academy and industry to be closely involved. Many respondents affirmed that this type of collaboration was very fruitful since the mix of various types of stakeholders and different perspectives generated lively and insightful debates leading to the expected outputs. ·The expert groups were generally considered to be working well. However, several respondents suggested that the topics discussed in the meetings were too broad. In particular, several comments suggested that having a more focused approach within the expert groups would have helped to have more productive and useful discussions. The representativeness of some observers was also questioned. ·The working methods were considered appropriate to deliver on the EU Work Plan for Sport. In particular, respondents highlighted that the cluster meetings and the groups of interested Member States were very useful structures given their flexibility to discuss new topics. The current duration of the EU Work Plan for Sport was supported. Most answers indicated that the 3 to 4 year duration is appropriate. However, several answers suggest that the EU Work Plans for Sport should integrate more flexibility measures to adapt to developments in the field of sport. 4.Views of the European Commission on the implementation of the EU Work Plan for Sport The Commission's assessment confirms in many regards the main views expressed by stakeholders during the consultation process. The Commission considers that the third EU Work Plan for Sport has been successful taking into account that the vast majority of the outputs have been delivered and the feedback from the participants has shown that they were of good quality. The working methods proved to be efficient in generating a permanent dialogue on key issues between Member States, the Commission and sport organisations. A strong increase in interest and participation has been observed in particular with regard to the EU Presidency conferences and cluster meetings since they have become useful platforms for exchange of views and good practices on key issues, as well as for communicating and networking. The expert groups remained a valuable tool for enhancing and strengthening cooperation on key issues such as education in and through sport or good governance between Member States and sport organisations as well as with the Commission. The Commission considers that the scope of the mandates given to the two expert groups could be discussed since the current ones were seen by some sport organisations and Member States as too broad and leading to heterogeneous composition and expertise. In addition, the Commission is of the opinion that observers have generally brought added value in terms of specific knowledge and level of expertise.

The Commission appreciates the optimisation of the working methods and considers that their diversification (by creating cluster meetings and the groups of interested Member States) had a positive effect and contributed to better an implementation of the EU Work Plan for Sport. More specifically, these new formats extended the possibilities for cooperation amongst Member States and allowed for a more focused approach on topics of major importance. Furthermore, the Commission welcomes the contribution of the EU Work Plan for Sport to the planning of the EU Council’s activities (conclusions, conferences and seminars) as it ensures increased coordination and coherence of activities at EU level. Regarding the results of the EU Work Plan for Sport, in general terms, a cooperative and concerted approach amongst Member States and the Commission has been applied. In addition, where appropriate, the sport movement and other relevant stakeholders were also actively involved in its implementation. Being a flexible roadmap, the EU Work Plan for Sport thus helped effectively address transnational challenges and contributed to the overarching priorities of the EU economic and social policy agenda. In the field of integrity of sport, stronger cooperation aimed at safeguarding children in sport, which is an emerging concern, has been ensured both at political and expert level. As a result, concrete measures have been implemented at national level. Innovation in sport has been particularly relevant for the Economic dimension of sport. Awareness has been raised concerning the benefits and challenges related to the ongoing rapid technological development through various discussions and events. Building on previous activities, new concrete initiatives and measures related to innovation and sport can be implemented at local, national and European level under a new EU Work Plan for Sport. The priority Sport and society has also been largely explored during the last years. Works of different EU Council Presidencies and the Commission have led to the preparation of Guidelines regarding the minimum requirements in skills and competences for coaches. This document proposes a common minimum set of competences for coaches in Europe, including development of soft skills, and suggest improvements in the education/training modules and courses for coaches. The purpose is to better prepare them to answer the needs of changing society given the growing social aspect of their everyday work. C) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE Based on previous experience and on its assessment of the implementation of the third EU Work Plan for Sport, the Commission is of the view that some improvements could be considered to further reinforce a future EU Work Plan for Sport and make it even more efficient and impactful. The recommendations outlined below refer to the format and nature of the EU Work Plan for Sport, its duration, priorities and working methods. In addition, the need for wider dissemination and more efficient use of the results of Erasmus+, Sport projects in policy-making should be particularly highlighted. 1.Format and nature of the EU Work Plan for Sport The EU Work Plan for Sport has proved to be a flexible framework and an efficient instrument for cooperation between Member States, the Commission and stakeholders at EU level. Its diverse working methods allow and facilitate the exchange of good practices, the long-term planning of EU Council’s activities and the prioritisation of areas for cooperation. However, the EU Work Plan for Sport is a non-binding document. As such, it is implemented in compliance with the competence assigned to the European Union in the field of sport, where action at EU level should support, coordinate and supplement the actions of Member States. It is also complementary and respectful to actions, initiatives and policies put in place by all actors in the field of sport such as public authorities, sport organisations and stakeholders. In this context, the title “EU Work Plan for Sport” does not properly reflect the nature of the document and its revision could be considered in the future. Changes to the title should take into account that the overarching purpose of the document is to enhance and strengthen cooperation in the field of sport at EU level. The new framework of the document could better reflect its strategic character and more effectively embrace all the involved in the implementation actors. With regard to sport stakeholders, they have a major role to play in shaping and implementing sport policies and their involvement could be further enhanced in the next EU Work Plan for Sport. Steps in that direction would reflect the spirit of the Council Resolution on further developing the EU Structured Dialogue on sport. 2.Duration The extension of the duration of the EU Work Plan for Sport from three to three-and-a-half years, thus covering the period until end 2020, has proved appropriate as it ensured alignment with the timing and priorities set in the EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) and Erasmus+ programme 2014-2020. In this respect, the Commission proposes to keep the duration of the Work Plan to three-and-a-half years. This would allow sufficient time to implement its actions and deliver on its objectives, as well as to evaluate the implementation of the Work Plan and negotiate a new one. A three-and-a-half year duration would ensure alignment with the duration of the EU MFF as it would coincide with its mid-term evaluation. 3.Priorities Competences in the area of sport lie with the Member States and EU action is limited to supporting, coordinating and supplementing the actions of Member States. Future priorities of the EU Work Plan for Sport should be identified taking closely into consideration the potential benefit of cooperation at EU level in a specific area or on concrete subjects. Furthermore, the role that the EU could play to contribute to address existing challenges in sport should be decisive when selecting priority themes and key topics. In addition, to ensure coherence and efficiency of EU actions in the field of sport, links to the key political priorities of the European Commission such as the Green Deal, the Cancer Action Plan and the promotion of the European Way of life should be considered.

Sport has the potential to contribute efficiently to all these challenges. Furthermore, the new priorities should also address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the recovery of the sport sector at all levels after the crisis. Green sport should be promoted from grassroots sport to the highest level. Major sport events have to be sustainable and pay attention to their legacy. The practice of sport and physical activity, while contributing to a healthy lifestyle, can play a role in cancer prevention. Furthermore, sport, its governance and its forms of practice, is clearly a part of our European Way of Life. In this context, sport should be developed both as a policy field in itself, but its contribution to other key areas should be recognised and more actively promoted.