Council resolution of 17 November 2003 on the use by Member States of bans on access to venues of football matches with an international dimension
Date: 2003-11-17
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU police cooperation, exchange of information, hooliganism, public safety, sporting event

22.11.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 281/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 17 November 2003

on the use by Member States of bans on access to venues of football matches with an international
dimension

(2003/C 281/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Recalling the Council Decision 2002/348/JHA of 25 April
2002 concerning
in connection with football
matches with an international dimension (1),

security

Taking account of the Council Resolutions of 9 June 1997 (2)
and 6 December 2001 (3) on preventing and restraining
football hooliganism,

— information on supporters, on their movements to or
through other countries and on their peaceful or violent
nature is now promptly and systematically exchanged
between European countries.
In some cases, such coop-
eration is made even more effective by the stationing of
police officers in countries staging international matches,
for the purpose of watching over travelling supporters
from their own country, so as to provide the local auth-
orities with the necessary intelligence and operational
support, under existing agreements and practices;

Whereas:

— under Article 29 of the Treaty on European Union, the
Union's objective is to provide citizens with a high level
of safety within an area of freedom, security and justice, in
particular by developing common action among the
Member States in the field of police cooperation;

— there is a steady increase in the number of people who
routinely travel around Europe, on organised trips or indi-
vidually, attending football matches or competitions in
other countries;

into

— incidents have occurred in which sporting passions have
conduct
degenerated
disturbances
preventing people from freely enjoying sporting events in
peace, thus bringing out particularly clearly the need to
reassert
freedom,
the European Union as an area of
justice and security;

violent

and

— in recent years, Member States have devised coordinated
policing measures to be taken for sporting events with a
transnational dimension. Those measures have proved
effective and it is thus pleasing to see that cooperation
between European Union Member States' police forces in
maintaining law and order at international football matches
or matches with an international dimension is very well
developed;

(1) OJ L 121, 8.5.2002, p. 1.
(2) OJ C 193, 24.6.1997, p. 1.
(3) OJ C 22, 24.1.2002, p. 1.

— international meetings of experts have brought a profitable
sharing of operational experience, making for the devising,
under individual countries' own circumstances, of similar
the
strategies
achievement of
a minimum standard of preventive
measures applicable in all countries;

tackling disturbances,

as well

for

as

— as a result of that body of experience built up at European
level, the security arrangements for major sporting events,
such as the Olympic Games, European Football Cham-
pionships
follow patterns
already tried out on previous such occasions, as refined
in the light of subsequent experiences;

and Football World Cups,

— in 1999 the relevant provisions were brought together,
spelt out and updated in a handbook, with the prime aim
of consolidating in a single text the cooperation already
under way in this area;

— the handbook was updated and extensively expanded by the
Resolution of 6 December 2001 and now includes
provisions on types of police cooperation, on the security
arrangements to be ensured, on police-media relations, on
cooperation with those escorting supporters (‘stewards’) and
with event organisers, on stadium admission policy and on
ticketing;

— Council Decision 2002/348/JHA then made provision for
the establishment in all Member States of national offices
for
i.e.
exchanging information on football violence,
specially set up national units, whose aims and responsi-
bilities were laid down in the Decision;

C 281/2

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Official Journal of the European Union

22.11.2003

— effective handling of domestic and international

football
matches calls for a comprehensive approach involving all
parties with an interest
in them; smooth cooperation
between police forces, organisers and sports bodies is
therefore to be desired;

— the progress made and the results achieved should lend
encouragement for the pursuit of new objectives, in order
to make police cooperation in this area even more effective;

— bans from stadiums staging football matches, as imposed
under some Member States' national law and imposed on
persons previously guilty of violent conduct, have proved
particularly effective;

— the possibility of introducing a similar system at European
level has been closely studied on past occasions, including
meetings of national experts;

— the arrangements adopted by the organisers for ticket allo-
cation can also contribute effectively to the security of
football matches, with the particular aim of separating
supporters, preventing overcrowding and keeping
rival
visitor flows under control, as well as enforcing stadium
bans imposed by competent authorities or sports bodies,

HEREBY ADOPTS THIS RESOLUTION:

1. The Member States are invited to examine the possibility of
introducing provisions establishing a means of banning
individuals previously guilty of violent conduct at football
matches from stadiums at which football matches are to be
held.

2. In order

to ensure compliance with orders

imposing
stadium bans, Member States should supplement
them
with provision for penalties in the event of non-compliance.

the competent authorities of

4. If there are stadium bans in a Member State imposed by
sports organisations,
this
Member State are invited, where appropriate, to contact
these organisations to examine whether such stadium bans
issued domestically could be applicable to football matches
which are to be held in other countries. Member States,
where appropriate, will
invite the sports organisations to
exchange the information between themselves.

5. With regard to the provisions of paragraphs 1 to 4,
information on details of orders imposing stadium bans
issued domestically should be transmitted to countries
staging football matches with an international dimension
via the national football information points established by
Decision 2002/348/JHA,
laid down in
Articles 3, 4 and 5 thereof.

in the manner

that

from the principle

6. Nothing in this Resolution should be
the

interpreted as
exchange of
departing
personal data shall comply with the relevant national and
international legislation, bearing in mind the principles in
Council of Europe Convention No 108 of 28 January 1981
for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic
Processing of Personal Data as well as, where appropriate, in
Recommendation No R(87) 15 of 17 September 1987 of
the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe regu-
lating the Use of Personal Data in the Police Sector.

7. Any Member State staging a football match with an inter-
national dimension should use details of those covered by
banning orders issued in other countries, as received under
point 5, solely in order to deny them access to stadiums
staging matches, where denial of access is possible under
national
law, or to take other appropriate measures to
maintain law and order. The use and storage of personal
data should be restricted to the football matches in relation
to which the details were transmitted.

3. Each Member State in which stadium bans as referred to in
paragraph 1 are in force is furthermore invited to consider
the possibility of taking appropriate steps to ensure that
orders imposing them issued domestically may also be
extended to cover certain football matches held in other
Member States and take into account orders issued by
other Member States.

8. Member States staging a football match with an inter-
national dimension are invited to ensure that their police
forces establish the necessary contacts with the event's
organisers and with the competent authorities or sports
bodies having an interest in it, for the purposes of coor-
dinated cooperation under this Resolution, within their
respective spheres of responsibility.