Resolution of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, reviewing the representation of the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board and the coordination of Member States’ positions prior to WADA meetings
Date: 2025-11-28
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: EU Member State, World Anti-Doping Agency, performance drugs, sport








C_202506757EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/6757


19.12.2025






Resolution of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, reviewing the representation of the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board and the coordination of Member States’ positions prior to WADA meetings
(C/2025/6757)


THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES, MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL,


RECALLING:









1.


Since 2000, several Council conclusions and resolutions have underlined the importance of the fight against doping and defined the role of the European Union and its Member States within the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as listed in Annex III.





NOTING THAT:









2.


An evaluation of the 2023 resolution has led to the conclusion that an update is needed in order to provide more clarity on the process of negotiating positions as well as the reporting mechanisms on matters falling within the EU competence, and to revise the allocation of seats for EU Representatives on the WADA Foundation Board.












3.


It is important that the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, continue when necessary to review the experience gained from the application of the 2023 resolution on a regular basis.





RECOGNISE THAT:









4.


The European Union and its Member States should be able to exercise their competences and play their role during the preparation, negotiation and adoption inter alia of rules, standards and guidelines by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).












5.


Three seats on the WADA Foundation Board are allocated to representatives of EU Member States.












6.


The European Ad Hoc Committee for the World Anti-Doping Agency (CAHAMA) is the competent forum for coordinating pan-European positions, while the Working Party on Sport (WPS) is a forum allowing to prepare EU positions, where relevant, as well as to coordinate on EU-related matters of common interest.












7.


Practical arrangements must be put in place for the participation of representatives of EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board, and for coordination of the positions of the EU and its Member States prior to CAHAMA and WADA meetings. These practical arrangements should reflect the duty of sincere cooperation, complementarity and synergy with CAHAMA and seek to promote unity in the EU’s external representation, while avoiding duplication of the work in CAHAMA. The arrangements should, however, also take into account the often-limited time and resources to coordinate positions.












8.


There is a strong need for continuity and commitment in the EU Member States’ representation on the WADA Foundation Board, supported by a political mandate and appropriate expertise.





CONSEQUENTLY, AGREE THAT:


Representation









9.


The representatives of the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board will be at ministerial level and the seats will be allocated as follows:






a)


one seat will be allocated to a person in charge of sport at ministerial level (1) (e.g., minister or a state secretary) from one of the Member States forming the incumbent or future Trio Presidency at time of the designation;










b)


two seats will be jointly allocated by the Member States meeting within the Council to two persons responsible for sport at ministerial level (e.g., minister or a state secretary; hereinafter ‘designated representatives at ministerial level’) and not forming the incumbent or future Trio Presidency;










c)


a Member State shall not hold more than one seat allocated to the European Union on the WADA Foundation Board.
















10.


The arrangements regarding EU Member States’ representation on the WADA Foundation Board as described in Annex I will take effect as from 1 July 2026, without prejudice to mandates approved prior to this date.












11.


Upon receipt of the documents for the WADA Foundation Board meetings, the Member State representing the incumbent or future Trio Presidency on the Foundation Board should forward documents to the General Secretariat of the Council, in preparation for the Working Party on Sport (WPS) as well as to the Commission.












12.


In coordination with the Presidency, the Member State representing the incumbent or future Trio Presidency on the WADA Foundation Board should present to the WPS the discussion points relevant to EU competences.





For EU positions









13.


Prior to meetings in CAHAMA, the Presidency and the Commission will, where relevant, cooperate to prepare a draft EU position. The Presidency and the Commission will take part in the meetings in CAHAMA. The modalities for determining whether the Commission or the Presidency will intervene at the CAHAMA meeting will be coordinated between them and to the extent permitted by CAHAMA’s terms of reference.












14.


An EU position can only be established on matters falling within the competence of the Union. Annex II lays down further instructions regarding the procedure for negotiating an EU position.





For coordinated positions









15.


While avoiding duplication with CAHAMA, the Member State delegates meeting within the WPS may also coordinate their positions on matters falling within the competence of the Member States, provided there is clear added value in such a coordinated position.












16.


Any position between the Member States must be consistent with any agreed EU position and will be presented at the CAHAMA meetings by the Member State holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU at that moment. The Member States should seek to include this coordinated position in the European continent mandate prepared by CAHAMA.





General stipulations









17.


The representatives of the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board will speak and vote on matters in accordance with the European continent’s mandate agreed by CAHAMA, provided that such a position is consistent with the EU acquis.












18.


The representative of the incumbent or future Trio Presidency whose representative is member of the WADA Foundation Board will submit a written report to the WPS at its first meeting following a meeting of the WADA Foundation Board. The report should highlight aspects relevant to the EU acquis, including compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and other relevant EU legislation. The report may include decisions taken, the main discussion points, unresolved issues and possible follow-up actions in areas of EU competences. The outcome of the WADA Foundation Board meeting should also be presented by one of the EU Member States’ representatives on the WADA Foundation Board at the meeting of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (EYCS) Council of the EU.












19.


By 31 December 2029, the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, will review the experience gained from the application of this resolution and will, if deemed necessary, consider whether any adjustments to the arrangement established by this resolution should be made.












20.


This resolution, including the attached arrangements regarding EU Member States’ representation on the WADA Foundation Board, and the practical arrangements regarding preparations for the WADA meetings on matters falling within Union competence, as approved by the Council on 28 November 2025, replaces resolution 2023/C 185/07 of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the representation of the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board and the coordination of the EU and its Member States’ positions prior to WADA meetings.






(1)  Based on the provisions of Article 16(2) TEU as interpreted in the Comments on the Council Rules of Procedure (Council of the European Union: General Secretariat of the Council, Comments on the Council’s Rules of Procedure, Publications Office of the European Union, 2022, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2860/682589





ANNEX I
Arrangements regarding the EU Member States’ representation on the WADA Foundation Board
The EU Member States agree on the following system of representation:

1.   

The representatives of the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board must be nationals of different EU Member States.



A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE MEMBER STATES FORMING THE INCUMBENT OR FUTURE TRIO PRESIDENCY:









2.


The Member States forming the incumbent and future Trio Presidency will choose, after internal consultation, an individual from one of them, as described in Annex IV, to represent the incumbent and future Trio Presidency on the WADA Foundation Board. This representative will be the person responsible at ministerial level for sport and will be eligible to sit on the Foundation Board in accordance with WADA’s statutes. The name of the chosen representative will be notified to the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU (GSC).












3.


If the representative ceases his/her functions at ministerial level, he/she will remain on the WADA Foundation Board until the new designation procedure is completed. The incumbent and future Trio Presidencies, as described in Annex IV will designate a replacement who is eligible to represent the EU Member State on the WADA Foundation Board and who is in charge of sport at ministerial level for the remaining time of the initial 3 years term of office on the Foundation Board.












4.


A representative who ceases his/her function at ministerial level or becomes ineligible to represent the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board will no longer be a member of the Foundation Board and his/her resignation will be automatic when the new designation procedure is completed.












5.


The term of office of the abovementioned representative is 3 years.





DESIGNATED REPRESENTATIVES AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL, JOINTLY DESIGNATED BY THE MEMBER STATES MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL:









6.


Proposals for designated representatives will be submitted by the Member States no later than one month before the meeting of the Council of the EU, during which the designation is to take place. The proposals will not include ministers from the Member States forming the incumbent or future Trio Presidency.












7.


When selecting new candidates for the designated representative positions, particular consideration should be given to their commitment for advancing the fight against doping and their willingness to engage actively in the work of WADA and to their determination to promote the values of the European Union and to ensure the respect of EU law, in compliance with the duty of sincere cooperation with CAHAMA.












8.


If there are more than two candidates for the designated representative positions, the Presidency will seek consensus among the Member States to organise an indicative ballot vote in the WPS in order to designate the designated representatives. The voting procedure will be proposed by the Presidency and also agreed on by consensus among Member States. any candidate for the designated representative position will be eligible to sit on the Foundation Board in accordance with WADA’s statutes.












9.


The term of office of a designated representative will be three years, unless he/she ceases his/her function at ministerial level in his/her Member State or if the eligibility requirements to represent the EU Member States in the WADA Foundation Board applicable at the time of designation are no longer met during his/her term of office. In this case, a new designation procedure for a new period of three years will be initiated. The current designated representative will remain in place until the new designation procedure is completed. The term of office will be consistent with WADA’s statutes and will in any event be limited to a maximum of three consecutive terms.





TRANSITIONAL RULES:









10.


The existing rules on the representation of the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board, as set out in the 2023 resolution, will apply until 30 June 2026.












11.


If the current representative from the incumbent Trio Presidency (PL, DK, CY) on the WADA Foundation Board ceases his function as Minister before 30 June 2026, the rules of the 2023 resolution will apply to appoint his successor for the remainder of the term of office until 30 June 2026.












12.


If the current representative from the future Trio Presidency (IE, LT, EL) on the WADA Foundation Board ceases his function as Minister before 30 June 2026, the rules of the representation of the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation board as set out in this resolution will apply to designate his successor at ministerial level from the group of Member States forming the incumbent and future Trio Presidencies in the period 1 July 2026 – 31 December 2027, as set out in Annex IV.





APPROVAL PROCESS BY THE MEMBER STATES MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL:









13.


The approval of the designated representatives at ministerial level and the Member State chosen by the incumbent or the future Trio Presidencies to designate a representative to the WADA Foundation Board will be made by the Member States meeting within the Council.












14.


The names of all members of the WADA Foundation Board who are representatives of EU Member States will be notified via the GSC to WADA, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of 23 October 2018 (1).






(1)  Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC.





ANNEX II
Practical arrangements regarding preparations for the WADA meetings on matters falling within Union competence
Without prejudice to the Council’s Rules of Procedure (CRP) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provisions regarding the EU’s decision-making process, the Council hereby agrees on the following practical arrangements with a view to ensuring predictability and transparency in the process of preparing for the meetings of the European continent coordination in the Council of Europe (CAHAMA) and for WADA meetings:






1.


Ahead of every WADA Foundation Board meeting, and taking into account the availability of WADA meeting documents, the Commission and the Presidency shall, in close coordination with the Member States, coordinate in view of establishing, if relevant, the EU position on the items of the WADA Foundation Board’s agenda.










2.


This draft EU position will be examined by the WPS and submitted for approval by COREPER and the Council in line with the applicable legal framework and established practice.










3.


In cases of urgency, e.g., a limited time period during which an EU position needs to be established without an already scheduled meeting in the WPS, an informal meeting of the WPS may be called by the Presidency and agreement on the EU position may be sought in written form. In such cases, the Presidency will send out the final, agreed EU position to the relevant parties prior to the meetings of CAHAMA and of WADA.










4.


If CAHAMA is called upon to adopt an act having legal effect, the Commission will be invited to present in due time a proposal for a Council decision, in accordance with article 218(9) TFEU in respect of that act.










5.


At the CAHAMA meetings, the EU position will be presented by the Commission or, where relevant, by the representative of the Presidency, to the extent permitted by CAHAMA’s terms of reference.










6.


Whenever necessary, on the spot EU coordination meetings between the Member States and the Commission may be convened and chaired by the Presidency.










7.


These practical arrangements and the resolution of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the representation of the EU Member States on the WADA Foundation Board and the coordination of Member States’ positions prior to the Foundation Board meetings, approved by the Council, replace resolution 2023/C 185/07 of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the representation of the EU Member States in the WADA Foundation Board and the coordination of the EU and its Member States’ positions prior to WADA meetings.









ANNEX III
The political background of the work on anti-doping in the Council:






1.


The conclusions of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council of 4 December 2000 on combating doping, OJ C 356, 12.12.2000, p. 1.










2.


The conclusions of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council of 18 November 2010 on the role of the European Union (EU) in the international fight against doping, OJ C 324, 1.12.2010, p. 18.










3.


The resolution of the Council and the Representatives of the Draft Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council of 20 December 2011 on the representation of the EU Member States on the Foundation Board of WADA and the coordination of the EU and its Member States’ positions prior to WADA meetings, OJ C 372, 20.12.2011, p. 7.










4.


The conclusions of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council of 15 December 2015, reviewing the 2011 resolution on the representation of the EU Member States on the Foundation Board of WADA and the coordination of the EU and its Member States’ positions prior to WADA meetings, which provides that by 31 December 2018, the experience gained from the further application of this resolution should be reviewed once more, OJ C 417, 15.12.2015, p. 45.










5.


The 2019 resolution of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the representation of the EU Member States on the Foundation Board of WADA and the coordination of Member States’ positions prior to WADA meetings, OJ C 192, 7.6.2019, p. 1.










6.


The 2023 resolution of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the representation of the EU Member States on the Foundation Board of WADA and the coordination of Member States’ positions prior to WADA meetings, OJ C 185 26.5.2023, p. 29.









ANNEX IV
The below indicative table is provided for information and may be adapted in line with any possible future changes to the order of the Presidencies of the Council of the EU. The table indicates the six Member States forming the incumbent and future Trio Presidency during a given time frame. The one seat allocated to represent the incumbent and future Trio Presidencies on the WADA Foundation Board can be selected from the pool of Member States within the relevant time period. This applies for both when selecting a candidate for a new term of three years as well as finding a replacement for a representative for the incumbent and future Trio Presidencies, who has ceased his/her function as a person in charge of sport at ministerial level, for the remaining time of the initial three years term of office on the WADA Foundation Board.





1 July 2026 – 31 December 2027
Ireland
Lithuania
Greece
Italy
Latvia
Luxembourg




1 January 2028 – 30 June 2029
Italy
Latvia
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Slovakia
Malta




1 July 2029 – 31 December 2030
Netherlands
Slovakia
Malta
Estonia
Bulgaria
Austria




1 January 2031 – 30 June 2032
Estonia
Bulgaria
Austria
Romania
Finland
Croatia




1 July 2032 – 31 December 2033
Romania
Finland
Croatia
Germany
Portugal
Slovenia




1 January 2034 – 30 June 2035
Germany
Portugal
Slovenia
France
Czech Republic
Sweden




1 July 2035 – 31 December 2036
France
Czech Republic
Sweden
Spain
Belgium
Hungary







ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/6757/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)