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DRAFT REPORT (2025/2035(INI))

On the role of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model

CULT-PR-772146

Committee on Culture and Education · Rapporteur: Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski

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This draft report on the role of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model calls for protecting and developing the model, which serves society, EU values, solidarity, and good governance. It requests the Commission to present a long-term strategy, a study on financial solidarity mechanisms, and guidelines on EU law application to sport, and to monitor threats like breakaway competitions. It urges sport governing bodies to improve governance, transparency, equality, diversity, and inclusion, and to strengthen stakeholder representation, including athletes and fans. It calls for promoting social dialogue in sport, possibly establishing an EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Professional Sport, and protecting athletes' fundamental rights. It emphasizes the need for increased funding for sport, especially under Erasmus+, and for addressing doping, match-fixing, and financial crime.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes a resolution that reaffirms commitment to the European Sport Model and calls for concrete EU actions, including a long-term strategy, financial solidarity mechanisms, and governance improvements.

Key points

  1. Reiterates commitment to defending the European Sport Model, which serves societal objectives, and stresses the need to protect its sustainable development from grassroots to professional level.
  2. Calls on stakeholders to promote safe, inclusive, equitable sport, focusing on gender equality, combating violence and harassment, and improving accessibility of sports infrastructure.
  3. Underlines the role of physical activity for children and young people and asks the Commission to develop recommendations on volunteering in sport with Member States.
  4. Stresses the importance of solidarity and calls for strengthening links between professional and grassroots sport through more effective solidarity mechanisms.
  5. Calls on the Commission to present a study mapping financial solidarity mechanisms and to support legal certainty for sport governing bodies, including redistribution between big and small leagues.
  6. Stresses the need to increase funding for sport, especially under Erasmus+ 2028-2034, and to enforce financial sustainability regulations, including controls on player salaries in professional football.
  7. Urges Member States to ensure hosts of major events uphold human rights and sustainability; calls on the Commission to safeguard financial integrity and competitive balance, including extending anti-money laundering to professional sport.
  8. Highlights the need to address doping at all levels, including mass participation and school sports.
  9. Recognises that sport autonomy is conditional on good governance and calls on sport organisations to implement highest standards of governance and transparency, and to strengthen stakeholder representation, especially athletes and fans.
  10. Urges sport governing bodies to implement measures on equality, diversity, and inclusion, addressing under-representation of women in leadership; stresses representativeness standards for stakeholder involvement.
  11. Calls on the Commission to promote social dialogue in sport and to consult on establishing an EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Professional Sport.
  12. Calls on EU institutions to protect athletes' fundamental rights, including freedom of association, collective bargaining, non-discrimination, decent working conditions, and occupational health and safety.

Who is affected

  • Sport governing bodies at international, European, and national levels: urged to improve governance, transparency, equality, diversity, and inclusion.
  • Athletes and fans: their involvement in decision-making is encouraged, and athletes' fundamental rights are to be protected.
  • Professional football clubs: subject to financial sustainability regulations, including controls on player salaries.
  • Hosts and organisers of major sports events: must uphold human rights and sustainability.
  • Volunteers in sport: their role is recognised, and recommendations are requested to support them.

Figures and deadlines

  • 2.12% of EU GDP is contributed by sport, and it provides jobs to nearly six million people.

Legal basis: Articles 6 and 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union