WRITTEN QUESTION P-2475/00 by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Council. Recognition of the specific nature of sport in the Treaties.
Date: 2000-07-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European treaties, professional sport, sport, sports body

C 113 E/104

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

(2001/C 113 E/104)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2475/00

by JosØ Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Council

(11 July 2000)

Subject: Recognition of the specific nature of sport in the Treaties

The recent summit in Feira, the last to be held under the Portuguese presidency, included in its conclusions
the following statement: (cid:145)The European Council requests the Commission and the Council to take account
of the specific characteristics of sport in Europe and its social function in managing common policies(cid:146).

In a recent interview (1), Mr Jacques Delors commented: (cid:145)(cid:133) To decide on the free movement of footballers
by analogy with the free movement of workers is a measure with damaging consequences for the future of
sport from the educational and popular viewpoints. ((cid:133)) I have reminded Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin
of the need for a protocol introducing a(cid:146)sporting exception(cid:145)(comparable to the existing(cid:146)cultural exception(cid:145))
in Europe, with a view to injecting a moral dimension into sport and insisting on its educational aspect.
((cid:133)) Every professional club playing in a national league in an EU Member State should be obliged to use
at least six players of its home nationality. ((cid:133)) It is their responsibility [i.e. that of the French presidency]
to include the protocol which I am campaigning for in the Treaty of Nice in December 2000.(cid:146)

President Jacques Chirac,
introducing the main points of the French presidency(cid:146)s programme at the
European Parliament in Strasbourg on 4 July 2000, made, in his turn, the following guarantee. (cid:145)We must
ensure that the European Union takes better account of the specific nature of sport and its role in society.
There is a real problem which needs to be studied and tackled. The French presidency will make every
effort to do so.(cid:146)

In view of the position adopted by the Portuguese presidency and strongly reiterated by the French
presidency before the European Parliament, can the Council state what practical action it is taking with a
view to the forthcoming adoption of a protocol to the Treaties which will properly recognise the specific
nature of sport and provide an appropriate and balanced response to the problems which have already
been the subject of a wide-ranging and detailed debate, given the social, popular and educational
dimensions of sport, even in the professional context?

(1)

(cid:145)Le Figaro(cid:146), 4 July 2000, first section, p. 13.

Reply

(16 November 2000)

While it is aware of the debate surrounding the possible inclusion of a reference in the Treaties to
recognition of the specific nature of sport, the Council cannot prejudge the outcome of the current
Intergovernmental Conference on the revision of the Treaties. It would point out, moreover, that any
amendment to the Treaties is adopted by the Member States by common accord.

(2001/C 113 E/105)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2477/00

by Avril Doyle (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 July 2000)

Subject: Genetic ownership

In the wake of the recent Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics announcements of the finalisation
of a draft copy of the full human genetic code, and in light of the philosophical, ethical, and moral
implications of these announcements, would the Commission explain its position on the patentability of
the human genome and its strategy for addressing the legal and scientific results of these announcements?