What changed

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

P10_TA(2025)0212

on the roleRole of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model

(2025/2035(INI))

Committee on Culture and Education

PE772.146

European Parliament resolution of 7 October 2025 on the role of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model (2025/2035(INI))

– having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in particular Articles 6 and 165 thereof, which specify the competences and action of the Union in the area of sport, and in particular the promotion of European sporting issues, while taking into account the specific nature of sport, its structures based on voluntary activity, and its social and educational function, and Articles 26 and 114 thereof, which specify the competences of the Union with regard to its internal market,

P. whereas there are new and evolving trends in ownership, such as those arising from foreign investment and multi-ownership in sport;

Q. whereas threats from excessive commercialisation, pure-profit entertainment ownership models and competitions, whichcompetitions put the competitive balance and integrity of professional sport at risk;

The European Sport Model: serving society and fostering inclusiveness

55. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Sport is deeply ingrained in the lives of Europeans. Whether as fans, athletes, volunteers, or participants, people across Europe share a passion for sport – and as policymakers, we share a passion for shaping sport’s role in society. Sport is more than entertainment, it is part of our social fabric. It contributes to building cohesive communities, promotes healthy lifestyles, and teaches us essential life skills at every age. It also supports the equality and integration of people with fewer opportunities, in particular people with disabilities.

Beyond that, sport is a growing economic sector, contributing 2.12% to the EU’s GDP and providing jobs to nearly six million people. European sport does not only represent a major asset on the global stage, but is also celebrated domestically by fostering cooperation between EU Member States.

Given the vital role sport plays in European society, we must carefully consider how it is organised, how it functions and how it is governed and developed. Reflecting this, Europe has a distinctive approach to sport through the European Sport Model. This model is based on principles such as fairness, open competitions, sporting merit and solidarity between all levels of sport. These features have been reaffirmed through numerous resolutions, reports and debates, demonstrating the broad consensus around the importance of protecting and promoting sport as one of the key cornerstones of our social and cultural fabric.

Europe’s commitment to strengthening the European Sport Model is clear - but sport itself stands at an important turning point. Growing commercialisation, foreign and state-level investment and ownership, profit-driven models, breakaway competitions, and governance issues threaten the integrity and sustainability of sport. These challenges are not limited to football. They affect a wide range of sports and appear only to be growing in scale and complexity, further testing the resilience of the European Sport Model.

In response, this forward-looking report focuses on what can and should be done to face these challenges. Specifically, the Rapporteur sets out concrete proposals and recommendations on how EU policy can mitigate these challenges and play a role in developing and promoting the European Sport Model. The report is structured around the concept of the Model serving four specific areas. Firstly, its role in society and fostering inclusiveness, secondly, promoting EU values and solidarity, thirdly, focusing on inclusive stakeholder governance, and finally, how EU policy can serve to strengthen and protect the European Sport Model.

The Rapporteur firmly rejects the notion that the EU lacks the competence or political will to support European sport. On the contrary, this report highlights a strong foundation of past policy actions, increasing EU institutional engagement, and growing partnership with sport stakeholders at EU level. Recent rulings by the European Court of Justice on sport governance and athletes’ rights, create a clear opportunity for stronger EU action. They underline the need to reinforce the European Sport Model, defend values-based sport, and ensure that governance aligns with EU law.

This is a pivotal moment to set out a long-term strategy for European sport policy. The Rapporteur calls for a renewed focus on enhancing the key features of the European Sport Model and advancing concrete actions in this regard. To support this work, a detailed assessment is required on which key features are subject to the highest pressures and need to be safeguarded, including by appropriate and available legal means.

A prominent example is the necessity to maintain a healthy balance between national team competitions and club competitions, a balance that underpins the solidarity model and grassroots development across many sports in Europe.

The Rapporteur underlines the need for stronger recognition of the specific nature of sport within EU law and policymaking. This applies in particular to competition law, free movement and state aid provisions. Accordingly, the report calls on the Commission to provide clear practical guidelines on how EU law applies to the sport sector, especially in light of recent European Court of Justice rulings. Recognising that there is not a universal, one-size-fits-all way in which the European Sport Model applies across different sports, the report calls for monitoring of emerging threats, in order to identify risks to the overall ecosystem.

Strengthening financial solidarity is essential to the future of the European Sport Model. The Rapporteur calls for stronger links between professional and grassroots sport through more effective solidarity mechanisms and fairer revenue sharing. While many positive examples already exist, there are sports and competitions where financial solidarity is insufficient, leaving grassroots sport development heavily dependent on citizens, regional municipalities or EU funding programmes. The Rapporteur therefore calls on the Commission to present a study mapping the existing financial solidarity mechanisms and redistribution schemes covering different sports with concrete recommendations on how to further develop solidarity. In particular, redistribution between professional and grassroots sport is needed to support vital areas such as women’s and youth tournaments, which are important for the long-term development of sport. Securing additional funds for sport is of paramount importance. In future programmes such as Erasmus+, sport should receive more funds from the overall EU budget.

The Rapporteur stresses the need for robust financial sustainability measures to safeguard the long-term health of sport clubs and their role in communities. The report also addresses the rising trend of foreign and state-level investment and ownership, as well as pure-profit entertainment models, which threaten the financial integrity and competitive balance of European sport. Without proper safeguards, there is a serious risk of distorting competition and undermining the social values that underpin the European Sport Model.

While the application of the European Sport Model may vary across sports, the core values and governance standards it embodies are universal. These include human rights, equality, diversity, inclusion, and the broader principles of the European social model. To this end, the report calls on all actors to increase efforts to ensure safe, inclusive and equal sport, with particular attention to supporting gender equality, tackling all forms of violence and harassment and making sport infrastructure more accessible.

The COVID-19 pandemic also exposed vulnerabilities in the sport ecosystem, particularly the sharp decline in sport volunteering. Acknowledging the skills and qualifications gained through volunteering would not only honour the efforts of volunteers, but also encourage greater participation and strengthen their base across the sport sector. Therefore, the report requests the Commission together with the Member States to develop recommendations in this field.

Strong, inclusive and representative governance is essential for the future of both European sport and the European Sport Model. The report underlines the need for greater stakeholder representation in governance, with particular emphasis on ensuring that athletes and fans have a real voice in decision-making processes. However, the Rapporteur also underlines that stakeholder organisations themselves must be fit for purpose and apt to credibly assume such roles in the governance of their sport. To this end, the report stresses that representativeness standards and checks are a pre-requisite for the involvement of stakeholder organisations.

Building on the successful example of the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Professional Football, the report proposes the establishment of an EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Professional Sport. This is linked to the Rapporteur’s strong conviction that more should be done to promote the fundamental rights of athletes, including social rights.

A key message in this report is that autonomy of sport can only be sustained through good governance. The Rapporteur encourages relevant international, European and national sport organisations as well as stakeholder representative bodies to adopt the highest standards of governance and transparency. The report also calls on sport governing bodies to take stronger action on equality, diversity and inclusion in sport governance, with a particular focus on addressing the persistent under-representation of women and minorities in leadership roles.

To conclude, this report does not seek to re-purpose what has already been said about the European Sport Model – it calls for action. As different sports face mounting threats to its principles and values, it is crucial that EU policymakers stand firmly with sport. We cannot afford complacency in the face of the real and immediate challenges.

Europe is the birthplace of modern sport with fair play and competitive spirit deeply rooted in its culture and history. The European Sport Model is evolving, but the principles that drive our sport policy remain unchanged. EU policy must empower and hold accountable sport organisations and stakeholders. It is vital that we champion the Model in a way that respects and cultivates the unique characteristics of sport.

ANNEX: DECLARATIONS OF INPUT

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that he included in his report input on matters pertaining to the subject of the file that he received, in the preparation of the draft report from the following interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from the following representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies:

1. Interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register

Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Council of Europe

FIFPRO

European Club Association (ECA)

Union of the European Clubs (UEC)

FIFA

UEFA

European Leagues

Football Supporters European (FSE)

European Olympic Committee EU Office

EU Athletes

Special Olympics

Sports Rights Owners Coalition (SROC)

International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA)

Play the Game

The European Organisation for Grassroots Sport (ENGSO)

European University Sport Association (EUSA)

President of the European Athlete as Student network

Sport and Citizenship

Europe Active

Panathlon International EU Brussels

European Association of Sport Employers (EASE)

A 22 Sports Management

La Liga

Stephen Weatherill, Good Governance 4 Sport

Arnout Geeraert, Utrecht School of Governance

Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI)

Association Representative Youth In Le Champ Du Sport Et De L'animation (ANESTAPS)

European Youth Alliance in Sport (EYAS)

The Association For International Sport for All (TAFISA)

European Network of Outdoor Sports (ENOS)

2. Representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.

Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur declares that he has submitted to the natural persons concerned the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.

INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Date adopted

16.7.2025

Result of final vote

+ : 25

- : 4

0 : 0

Members present for the final vote

Nikolaos Anadiotis, Zsuzsanna Borvendég, Laurence Farreng, Catherine Griset, Hannes Heide, Lara Magoni, Eleonora Meleti, Nikos Pappas, Giusi Princi, Sabrina Repp, Diana Riba i Giner, Nela Riehl, Sandro Ruotolo, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Zoltán Tarr, Eugen Tomac, Ivaylo Valchev, Annamária Vicsek, Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski

Substitutes present for the final vote

Stephen Nikola Bartulica, Isilda Gomes, Łukasz Kohut, Nikola Minchev, Carolina Morace, Tiago Moreira de Sá, Marcos Ros Sempere, Hélder Sousa Silva

Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote

Niels Geuking, Antonio López-Istúriz White

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL BY THE COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

25

+

ECR

Bartulica Stephen Nikola, Magoni Lara, Valchev Ivaylo

NI

Anadiotis Nikolaos

PPE

Geuking Niels, Kohut Lukasz, López-Istúriz White Antonio, Meleti Eleonora, Princi Giusi, Sousa Silva Hélder, Tarr Zoltán, Zdrojewski Bogdan Andrzej

Renew

Farreng Laurence, Minchev Nikola, Tomac Eugen

S&D

Gomes Isilda, Heide Hannes, Repp Sabrina, Ros Sempere Marcos, Ruotolo Sandro, Scheuring-Wielgus Joanna

The Left

Morace Carolina, Pappas Nikos

Verts/ALE

Riba i Giner Diana, Riehl Nela

4

-

ESN

Borvendég Zsuzsanna

PfE

Griset Catherine, Moreira de Sá Tiago, Vicsek Annamária

0

0

Key:

+ : in favour

- : against

0 : abstentions