Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on The White Paper on Sport
Date: 2008-02-07
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: economic consequence, social integration, social role, sport

C 105/40

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on ‘The White Paper on Sport’

(2008/C 105/09)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

— points out that sport is an important means of promoting the integration of all social groups and
notes that it enhances individual capabilities and inculcates fundamental values such as fairness, toler-
ance and solidarity;

— holds the view that a strong, healthy population — young and old, men and women — constitutes a
basis and driving force for economic growth, competitiveness and, quite generally, greater prosperity
in Europe, thus helping efforts to meet the Lisbon strategy objectives;

— welcomes the Commission's White Paper on Sport as a contribution to promoting sport as a growing
phenomenon of educational, health-enhancing, social and economic significance, which makes an
important contribution to the European Union's strategic objectives of solidarity and prosperity;

— is however concerned to note the objectives set out in the Commission's White Paper, as they reflect a
clear tendency to expand EU competences in the sports sector, with objectives which go beyond the
current content of the Nice Declaration and the existing Treaty rules;

— agrees with the Commission that structured dialogue with stakeholders through an EU sport forum
and thematic discussions has an important role to play in contributing to the European debate on
sport. In line with its role, the Committee feels that it should be actively involved in shaping this
dialogue.

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Rapporteur: Helma KUHN-THEIS (DE/EPP), Member of the Saarland Landtag

Reference text:

White Paper on Sport (presented by the Commission)

COM(2007) 391 final — SEC(2007) 932 — SEC(2007) 934 — SEC(2007) 935 — SEC(2007) 936

Policy recommendations

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS:

notes that sport is an integral part of European society

1.
and the daily lives of many European citizens;

2.
confirms that the pursuit of sports enhances health and
helps to prevent illnesses, particularly those due to a lack of
exercise and poor nutrition;

3.
emphasises the holistic contribution of sport to educating
the younger generation and its support for the process of chil-
dren and young people developing as fully-fledged, responsible
and principled individuals;

4.
points out that sport is an important means of promoting
the integration of all social groups: in few other areas of social
life can immigrants and native-born men and women, with and
without disabilities, young and old co-exist in such harmony as
in sport;

5.
holds the view that a strong, healthy population — young
and old, men and women — constitutes a basis and driving
force for economic growth, competitiveness and, quite generally,
greater prosperity in Europe, thus helping efforts to meet the
Lisbon strategy objectives;

6.
notes that sport enhances individual capabilities and incul-
cates fundamental values such as fairness, tolerance and soli-
darity;

7.
therefore welcomes the Commission's White Paper on
Sport as a contribution to promoting sport as a growing
phenomenon of
and
economic significance, which makes an important contribution
to the European Union's strategic objectives of solidarity and
prosperity;

educational, health-enhancing,

social

8.
considers however that sport is also confronted with new
threats and challenges which have emerged in European society,
such as commercial pressure, exploitation of young sportsmen
and women, doping, racism, violence, corruption and money
laundering;

at the same time, is concerned to note the objectives set
9.
out in the Commission's White Paper, as they reflect a clear
tendency to expand EU competences in the sports sector, with
objectives which go beyond the current content of the Nice

Declaration and the existing Treaty rules;
the autonomy of
sports organisations and the competences of Member States and
of local and regional authorities must not be called into ques-
tion. It therefore strongly emphasises that the Community has
only limited competences in the sports sector;

with this in mind, would still welcome supporting, coor-
10.
dinating or complementary measures by the Commission to
foster sport in the Member States and to promote its social,
educational, health-enhancing and cultural values, without inter-
fering with the competences and autonomy of Member States
and sporting organisations;

in view of

11.
the fact that an independent EU support
programme for sport will not be feasible before 2011, proposes
that a budget heading for preparatory measures and pilot
projects to implement the White Paper be included in the EU
budget for 2009; alternatively proposes that information be
disseminated widely on funding possibilities which are already
open to sport or will become so;

is in favour of

12.
integrating sport more closely than
In the
previously in EU policies and support programmes.
Committee of the Regions' view, including sport in the treaty
amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty
establishing the European Community is sufficient legal basis to
justify explicit provision for supporting, coordinating or comple-
mentary measures in the next funding period starting in 2013;

13.
urges its members to back the White Paper's call for inte-
level of EU
gration of sport
in implementation at regional
support instruments from the European Regional Development
Fund, the European Social Fund and the European Agricultural
Fund for Rural Development;

14.
appreciates that the White Paper has identified the main-
streaming of sport as a key task and asks the Commission to
report regularly on implementation of this task;

on enhancing public health through physical activity

that

feels

15.
acknowledged the
the Commission has
problem, and has drawn attention at supranational level to the
need for action and possible solutions through its complemen-
tary White Papers on Sport and on ‘A Strategy for Europe on
Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues’;

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16.
feels that there is an obvious case for involving sporting
organisations in the improvement of public health through
physical activity, given that sporting organisations can reach a
large target group due to their being organised in clubs and
associations. It endorses the Commission's intention to provide
stronger moral and financial support
than hitherto for the
creation of networks to pool experiences, particularly in relation
to good practices for young people, and with an emphasis on
of
grassroots
cross-sectoral cooperation in this field, in view of the fact that
joint action at Community level can benefit national govern-
mental
compartmentalised between
structures, which are
various sectors (sport, health, education);

importance

emphasises

sport;

also

the

17.
the Committee also suggests that the Commission should
explicitly recognise spontaneous and non-organised sporting
activity, and should work to enable sporting and public
authority organisations to create the best possible climate in
which these activities can develop;

on preventing and combating doping

18.
feels that, as in other areas, in the absence of appropriate
ethical foundations, predominantly commercial and social pres-
sures to perform represent a major threat in that they encourage
the use of unfair means of enhancing performance;

19.
notes that doping seriously undermines the spirit of fair-
ness of sport and its image, and represents a serious threat to
individual health. It also demotivates other athletes;

feels that in competitive sports it is not only professional
20.
athletes who are under intense pressure from many social
groups to perform. Even upstream of professional sport, these
pressures are increasingly exposing amateurs and young athletes
to the threat of progressive doping;

21.
would argue that commitments to doping-free sport can
only be met if effective checks are in place; this requires EU and
worldwide determination to combat doping;

on enhancing the role of sport in education and training

welcomes and approves efforts to support and promote
24.
sport and exercise through the Commission's various policy
initiatives and the award of a label to schools which are particu-
larly committed to promoting physical activity and to sports
associations which pay special attention to the quality of their
services;

25.
emphasises the particular importance of pre-school exer-
cise, games and sport for the physical, mental, cognitive and
social development of children and young people as an essential
part of a holistic education process. The Committee therefore
calls on the Commission to attach particular importance to
physical activity in nursery schools;

26.
would nevertheless point out that any supporting, coor-
dinating or complementary measures by the Commission in
education or sport must not encroach on the powers of
levels in
Member States or of
Member States;

the competent subnational

on promoting volunteering and active citizenship through sport

27.
emphasises the particular importance of volunteering
and calls on the Commission to take account of voluntary work
in sport from the very outset; also warns against seeing sport as
a merely economic activity, as this does not adequately reflect
the phenomenon of sport as a whole. Professional sport is only
a small part of the overall sport movement, a fact which the
White Paper does not sufficiently reflect;

28.
feels that especially in sport there is a direct link between
civic commitment and community building, thus serving not
only sports-related objectives but also contributing to society
and promoting public-spiritedness;

with regard to promoting grassroots sport, welcomes the

29.
‘Europe for Citizens’ programme;

with regard to the ‘Youth in Action’ programme,
30.
welcomes the Commission's proposal to promote volunteering
by young people in the sports sector;

22.
recommends a more closely coordinated approach to
combating doping in the EU, taking into account the Unesco
Convention against Doping in Sport and the necessity for an
anti-doping testing agency with genuinely independent technical
competences;

welcomes the Commission's plan to launch a European
31.
study on volunteering in sport, as this will be a useful means of
identifying future tasks and ensuring planning certainty with
regard to volunteering in the sports sector;

23.
considers that local and regional authorities and organi-
sations are particularly well placed to raise awareness of the
problem through information campaigns in schools, sports
clubs and the sports sector in general, and to contribute to the
imparting of knowledge; therefore calls on them to act, and
confirms
such
activities at local and regional level;

intention to complement and support

its

on using the potential of sport for social
equal opportunities

inclusion,

integration and

feels that the special role that sport can play for people

32.
with disabilities must be taken into account;

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therefore encourages Member States,

the local and
33.
regional authorities, and sport organisations
to take into
account the needs of people with disabilities, and to ensure that
sport venues and accommodations are accessible for people
with disabilities;

feels that the training of monitors, trainers, volunteers
the purpose of

34.
and staff of clubs and organisations
welcoming people with disabilities should be promoted;

for

35.
considers that elderly people can preserve their potential
for physical and mental activity for as long as possible through
sport and retain their independence,
in order to reduce their
dependency on outside help as far as possible. Mobility means
that elderly people can maintain their social contacts and parti-
cipate autonomously in social life. Among other things, sports
activities have a specific role to play here;

agrees that Member States should consider the potential
36.
of sports to promote integration as part of their programming
of the European Social Fund, the European Regional Develop-
ment Fund and the European Integration Fund;

on strengthening the prevention of and fight against
violence

racism and

37.
welcomes existing efforts at national and international
level to combat violence and racism in sports by putting in
place central
information points and ensuring cooperation
between police authorities and sports clubs;

that

notes

in Germany
38.
demonstrated that such cooperation is already working and
leading to good results;

the 2006 World Cup

on sharing our values with other parts of the world

on supporting sustainable development

agrees that European sport organisations and sport event
42.
organisers should adopt environmental objectives and approves
the Commission's plan to encourage them to participate in the
Eco Management Audit Scheme (EMAS) and Community
Eco-Label Award schemes, which should be promoted during
major sport events;

welcomes the Commission's proposal to take sport into

43.
account as a component of the new LIFE+ programme;

on the economic dimension of sport

that

points out

the economic potential of sport

44.
for
tourism is not only reflected in major sports events but that
active sport in the form of recreational tourism makes a signifi-
cant contribution to regional development and to structural
change in particular. Regional strategies play a key role here.
The Commission should therefore continue supporting regions
in their endeavours to take their structural development forward
through measures which are
adapted to regional needs;
encourages local and regional authorities to invest some of the
Structural Funds resources available to them in sports and
leisure facilities;

on moving towards evidence-based sport policies

is concerned that

45.
the Commission is calling for an
improved knowledge base without reaching agreement with
Member States and European regions on the objectives of such
a measure;

out

that

points

compiling

46.
and
sports-related statistics as an end in itself, which is not really
necessary in order to provide a better picture of sport's added
value, could result in additional red tape. In view of the efforts
to cut red tape,
including at European level, such additional
procedures are definitely to be avoided;

further

sports

encourages the Commission to do more to promote the

39.
use of sport as a tool in its development policy;

therefore recommends tapping into the experience and
40.
knowledge of
the United Nations and the Member States
derived from the 2005 International Year of Sport and Physical
Education as a means of promoting education, health, develop-
ment and peace, and suggests that where appropriate existing
projects and measures could continue running and developing;

for reasons of subsidiarity, does not feel there is any need
41.
for uniform EU rules on migration of athletes from third coun-
tries or for applying circular migration arrangements. Migration
of athletes should therefore remain a national competence;

47.
therefore, as a first step, urges the Commission to engage
in closer dialogue with the Member States and in particular the
regions in order to reach a common agreement on the objec-
tives of a new knowledge base. It is important to ensure that
additional red tape connected with the compilation of statistics
is kept to a minimum;

48.
acknowledges that the Commission will launch a study
to assess the direct and indirect contribution of sport to the
Lisbon agenda. However,
it would ask whether the lack of a
sound knowledge base mentioned by the Commission might
not seriously constrain a considered assessment of the contribu-
tion of sport to the Lisbon agenda. The Committee of
the
Regions requests the Commission to inform it of the findings of
the study;

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on putting public support for sport on a more secure footing

on free movement and nationality

that

feels

for giving
49.
long-term support to sporting organisations are indispensable as
a basis for promoting sport in the Member States;

financing models

sustainable

feels that state support for grassroots sport is essential
50.
and points out that in many Member States such sports receive
significant direct or indirect contributions (through taxes and
levies)
lottery
from state-run or state-licensed gambling or
services;

51.
in this context, would emphasise that existing govern-
ment monopolies in the field of sports-related gambling and
lotteries, which are based on imperative requirements in the
general interest, on the prevention of compulsive gambling and
the maintenance of public order, and which consistently pursue
such objectives, comply with European law, according to the
established case law of
Justice. The
Committee therefore feels that it would be appropriate to use
money from gambling, which is fundamentally undesirable, for
purposes which are in the public interest (e.g. sport);

the European Court of

welcomes

the European Commission's

intention of
52.
carrying out an independent study on the financing of grass-
roots sport in the Member States, and requests that it waits for
the findings of this study before taking political decisions which
could undermine state support for grassroots sport;

53.
asks the Commission to recognise there is a need for reli-
able methods to gauge the impact of public funding for sport.
funding systems have different
National, regional and local
arrangements and it is worthwhile using studies and compari-
sons in order to be able to assess the importance of different
types of public support for sport;

supports the Commission in its plans to defend mainte-
the existing possibilities of reduced VAT rates for

54.
nance of
sport;

feels that

the instances of

limited and proportionate
57.
restrictions on free movement listed in the White Paper are
appropriate, useful and necessary in view of the specific charac-
teristics of sport;

on transfers

feels that

58.
competition between sport clubs;

transfer rules are essential

to ensure equal

on players' agents

is pleased that the Commission will carry out an impact
the activities of

to provide a clear overview of

59.
assessment
players' agents in the EU;

60.
suggests that, if action at EU level is necessary, national
laws and the rules of sporting organisations be coordinated
jointly with international federations;

on protection of minors

61.
urges the Commission to give high priority to imple-
menting cooperation with Member States and sporting organisa-
tions on the protection of minors, as proposed in the White
Paper;

on corruption, money laundering and other forms of financial crime

welcomes

the Commission's

62.
intention to support
anti-corruption authorities and to monitor the implementation
of EU anti-money laundering legislation with regard to the
sports sector;

on the organisation of sport

on licensing systems for clubs

together with the Commission,

55.
the
autonomy of sporting organisations and representative struc-
tures, and feels that the White Paper fails to emphasise the
importance of such autonomy as described and acknowledged
in the Nice Declaration;

acknowledges

on the specificity of sport

the

feels

specific

characteristics of

are
56.
that
fundamental and feels that
the White Paper fails to take a
clear position on this point. The Committee is concerned that a
case-by-case approach to dealing with the specificity of sport
will be unsatisfactory from the perspective of sporting organisa-
tions and will entrench existing legal uncertainty;

sport

feels that

63.
licensing systems are the responsibility of
sporting organisations, provided that such systems are compa-
tible with competition law and internal market provisions;

on the media

is pleased that the Commission will continue to support
64.
the right to information and wide access for citizens to broad-
casts of sporting events;

feels therefore that existing European legislation on the
65.
right to broadcast short news reports are an important and
proven means of ensuring freedom of
information and the
plurality of views;

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is therefore in favour of using future evaluations of the
66.
European legislative
to
framework for
consider whether and to what extent the right to broadcast
short news reports should be extended to other media such as
radio;

audiovisual media

67.
reaffirms its support of the role of public service broad-
casters in ensuring diversity. As economically autonomous
public service providers, public broadcasters have a duty to
cover minority-interest sport as well as pursuing ratings success
with coverage of major events;

on structured dialogue

68.
agrees with the Commission that structured dialogue
with stakeholders through an EU sport forum and thematic
discussions has an important role to play in contributing to the
European debate on sport. In line with its role, the Committee
feels that it should be actively involved in shaping this dialogue.
In this connection the CoR would highlight the need for forums
for representatives from different sports and representatives
from public stadium owners to enable them to discuss current
and future requirements for sports facilities and stadiums. The
Committee hopes the Commission will use the structured
dialogue for this purpose;

Brussels, 7 February 2008.

suggests that seminars should be held with the involve-
69.
ment of specialist agencies
to provide European
in order
sporting organisations with information on the application of
the acquis communautaire;

proposes that conferences on sport and regional develop-
for

70.
ment should be held,
regional development and to identify best practices;

to explain the benefits of sport

that

suggests

71.
the Commission should promote and
provide long-term support for the development of cross-border
inter-regional clubs and projects (such as the European inter-re-
gional sport pool in the greater SaarLorLux region);

on cooperation with Member States

72.
feels that the non-government sport movement should
be more closely involved in the dialogue between the European
Commission and the Member States, as in the Council of
Europe;

73.
in this connection, points out that cooperation should
not encroach on Member State competences in the sports
sector.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Luc VAN DEN BRANDE