WRITTEN QUESTION P-0600/04 by Generoso Andria (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Remuneration of amateur football managers.
Date: 2004-02-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, remuneration of work, restriction on competition, sports body, voluntary work

C 84 E/816

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(1 April 2004)

The Commission has received a letter claiming that the Greek Jockey Club is withholding prize money
from non-Greek-bred race-horses emanating from other Member States. The information provided to date
is not sufficient to permit the Commission to ascertain whether, as suggested by the Honourable Member,
a proportion of the prize money is indeed withheld by the Greek racing authorities if a horse is bred
outside Greece. It is also not yet in a position to ascertain the compatibility with Community law of any
such practice, especially since it has not yet received the relevant regulations. More particularly, it is not
clear whether the Greek Jockey Club is a private body, a recognised association that has legal autonomy to
act in Greece or a public organisation (e.g., whether it is governed by public law). Consequently, it is yet to
be determined whether the problem raised will be analysed under competition law or under Internal
Market rules.

To permit the Commission to examine the concerns raised regarding the practices of the Greek Jockey
Club and to be in a position to register a formal complaint, the Commission has requested additional
information from the interested party.

(2004/C 84 E/0911)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0600/04

by Generoso Andria (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(23 February 2004)

Subject: Remuneration of amateur football managers

Football is a very popular sport in Italy which is played by large numbers of young people.

The astronomical sums paid to professional footballers have created major problems for all clubs and have
required government intervention in the form of the ‘Spalma-debiti’ decree allowing clubs to spread their
debts over ten years.

This decree is now under close scrutiny by the Competition Commissioner Mario Monti.

Amateur football is a sport which gives young people the opportunity to develop their physical and
mental skills in the open air and participation has always been unpaid or the amounts involved have been
very small.

The chairmen of amateur clubs also incur considerable expenses without any remuneration apart from
their love of the game.

However, other managers in the football sector, from the President of the League to board members, are
known to receive remuneration of thousands of euro in the form of per diem allowances to cover their
expenses, which are questionable from the tax point of view and circumvent the provisions of Article 10 of
the law governing the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) which says that the duties performed by officers
shall not be remunerated and prohibits offices in the federation from being held by those who derive
financial gain from their involvement in football.

Can the Commission say whether this situation amounts to a distortion of competition in a particularly
sensitive sector or involves serious irregularities?

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/817

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(25 March 2004)

Regarding the question of whether the fact that the President and board members of the football League (cid:1)
as opposed to chairmen of amateur clubs (cid:1) are remunerated, amounts to a distortion of competition or
involves serious irregularities with respect to the law governing the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the
Commission wishes to indicate the following:

(cid:1) as regards a possible infringement of competition rules, this could only arise in connection to
behaviour of undertakings or from the granting of State aid to undertakings. The circumstances
described in the question do not seem to concern undertakings and are, therefore, outside the scope of
the competition rules of the EC Treaty;

(cid:1) the Honourable Member states that the remunerations paid are questionable from a tax point of view.
In that respect, the Commission would like to point out that Member States are free to set their own
rules regarding direct taxation, as long as they do not infringe the EC Treaty or any relevant secondary
Community legislation. In this case there appears to be no such infringement;

(cid:1) as regards possible irregularities with respect to the law governing the Italian Football Federation
(FIGC) these are matters outside the competence of the Commission. Indeed, the Commission recalls
that the Union does not have a specific competence in the field of sport, which is organised by
sporting organisations. Nevertheless,
the Commission agrees on the important and positive
contribution of voluntariness and has included it among the objectives of the European Year of
Education through Sport 2004.

(2004/C 84 E/0912)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0602/04

by María Bergaz Conesa (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(27 February 2004)

Subject: Global assessment of the major Ebro water transfer project

On 16 December 2003, before the Committee on the Environment, and on various later occasions,
Commissioner Barnier stated that the Commission was going to carry out a global assessment of the Ebro
water transfer project, since this was a ‘mega scheme’. Another project, previously assessed by the
Commission was the water transfer from the Júcar to the Vinalopó, using the services of the EIB. The EIB
study has been criticised for its partiality, and for the lack of involvement of all the parties involved, since
the EIB merely consulted the local administrations and groups which were in favour of the transfer.

Is the Commission going to use the EIB to assess the Ebro transfer?

How does the Commission intend to rectify the omission of public participation in its assessment of the
Júcar (cid:1) Vinalopó transfer and in that of the Ebro transfer?

Does the Commission intend to push for consultations at local
Brussels?

level and fresh technical meetings in

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2004)

The projects regarding the Ebro river transfer, submitted by the Spanish authorities for co-financing
through Community funds, are under evaluation by the Commission. As announced, they are being
evaluated as a single global project.