Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

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

(2025/2035(INI))

The European Parliament,

Changed– having regard to Articles 6 and 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European UnionUnion, (TFEU),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 activityactivity, 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,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 establishing Erasmus+: the Union Programme for education and training, youth and sport and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013, and in particular Chapter IV on Sport,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 11 July 2007 entitled ‘White Paper on Sport’ (COM(2007)0391),

Changed– having regard to the Commission reportcommunication of 18 January 2011 entitled ‘Developing the European Dimension in Sport’ (COM(2011)0012),

– having regard to its resolution of 2 February 2012 on the European dimension in sport,

– having regard to its resolution of 14 March 2013 on match-fixing and corruption in sport,

– having regard to its resolution of 2 February 2017 on an integrated approach to Sport Policy: good governance, accessibility and integrity,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 19 May 2021 with recommendations to the Commission on challenges of sports events organisers in the digital environment,

– having regard to its resolution of 23 November 2021 on EU sports policy: assessment and possible ways forward,

Changed– having regard to the study requested by its Committee on Culture and Education entitled ‘EU sports policy: assessment and possible ways forward’, published in June 2001 by its Directorate-General for Internal Policies,Policies in June 2021,

Changed– having regard to the Commission study entitled ‘Study on the European Sportsport Model’,model’, published in April 2022,

Changed– having regard to the Resolutionresolution of 3 June 2024 of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the European Union Work Plan for Sport (1 July 2024 – 31 December 2027),

Changed– having regard to the Commission communicationreport of 14 February 2024 entitledon ‘Implementationthe Reportimplementation onand relevance of the EUEuropean Union Work Plan for Sport (2021–2024)’,2021–2024 and on the Recommendation on promoting health-enhancing physical activities across sectors (COM(2024)0073),

Removed– having regard to its study of June 2021 entitled ‘EU sports policy: assessment and possible ways forward’,

Added– having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (the Macolin Convention), signed on 18 September 2014,

Changed– having regard to the Council of Europe ConventionRevised ofEuropean 18Sports SeptemberCharter, 2014adopted onby the manipulationCouncil of sportEurope competitionson (the13 MacolinOctober Convention),2021,

Changed– having regard to the CouncilUN ofEducational, Europe’sScientific Revisedand EuropeanCultural SportsOrganization (UNESCO) International Charter of 2022,Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport of 2015,

Changed– having regard to recent Europeanjudgments of the Court of Justice rulingsof relatedthe EU (CJEU) relating to sport, including theCases casesC-124/21 ofP, International Skating Union v Commission, C-680/21, Royal Antwerp Football Club,Club Europeanv SuperleagueUnion Companyroyale andbelge Lassanades Diarrasociétés andde FIFPROfootball association, C-333/21, European Superleague Company v FIFA and URBSFAUEFA (C‑650/22),and C‑650/22, FIFA v BZ,

Changed– having regard to the Resolutionresolution of 12 December 2021 of the Council and of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the key features of a European Sport Model,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

Changed– having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture and Education (A10-0000/2025),(A10-0157/2025),

A. whereas sport is a European public good and an increasingly valuable European asset – socially, economically, politically and culturally;

B. whereas sport and physical activity play an important role in people’s lives, bringing communities and people together and improving health and well-being;

Change 1

ChangedC. whereas sport servesand physical activity serve as vectors for integration and inclusion and offer a vectorsense forof integration,community, especially for people with fewer opportunities;

Change 2

ChangedD. whereas sport playsand aphysical activity play vital roleroles in promoting EU values such as democracy, respect, solidarity, diversity and equality;

Change 3

ChangedE. whereas the European Sport Model is underpinned by key features such as the principles of solidarity, sustainability, integrity, inclusiveness, opensporting competitionmerit, territoriality and sportingopenness merit;of competitions;

Change 4

RemovedF. whereas the European Sport Model encompasses both elite and grassroots sport;

AddedF. whereas there is a need to maintain a healthy balance between national team competitions and club competitions;

AddedG. whereas the European Sport Model encompasses professional and grassroots sport;

AddedH. whereas sport is a driver of the EU’s cohesion policy, particularly in rural and disadvantaged, remote areas which are challenged by limited funds, infrastructure and declining membership;

AddedI. whereas the majority of grassroots sports revenue is based on citizens’ own payments, unpaid work by volunteers, support from local businesses and subsidies from municipalities;

J. whereas the European Sport Model encompasses the development of women’s sport and the promotion of gender equality in sport;

Change 5

ChangedH.K. whereas there is a worrying decline in the number of volunteers participating in grassroots sport;

Change 6

RemovedI. whereas recent judgements of the European Court of Justice represent an opportunity for EU policy to further enhance the European Sport Model;

AddedL. whereas athletes often face insufficient social protection, and encounter rising intensity in their sports and match calendars, as well as the challenges of combining education and employment with their sporting careers;

RemovedJ. whereas sport faces numerous challenges, including problems of governance, corruption, match-fixing, doping, piracy and discrimination;

AddedM. whereas the recent CJEU judgments present an opportunity for EU policy to further enhance the European Sport Model;

RemovedK. whereas there is a rising trend of foreign investment and ownership, threats from pure-profit entertainment models and risks to the competitive balance in professional sport;

AddedN. whereas sport faces numerous challenges, including problems of governance, corruption, match-fixing, doping, online piracy and discrimination;

AddedO. whereas the revenue lost by sports events organisers from the online piracy of live sports content could be reinvested in the EU sports ecosystem;

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

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

The European Sport Model: serving society and fostering inclusiveness

Change 7

Changed1. Reiterates its unwavering commitment to defending the European Sport ModelModel, in which sport servesand physical activity serve societal objectives;objectives and contribute across key EU policy areas;

Change 8

Changed2. Recognises the need to protect the European Sport Model, ensuring the ongoing sustainable development of sport and physical activity from grassroots to professional levels and at local, regional, national and European levels;

Change 9

Changed3. Stresses the need to further develop the European Sport Model in line with the interests of citizens, EU values and policy priorities such as equality, diversity, inclusion, sustainability, health and well-being, the European social model as well asand EU competitiveness;

Change 10

Changed4. Calls on all stakeholders to intensify their efforts to promote safe, inclusive,inclusive and equitable sport, accessible to all, with a focus on advancing gender equality, combating all forms of violenceviolence, discrimination and harassment, and improving the accessibility of sports infrastructure;

Change 11

Removed5. Underlines the vital role of physical activity for children and young people, highlighting its immediate and long-term benefits for physical and mental health, as well as its contribution to developing young people’s social and life skills;

Added5. Stresses, in this regard, the need to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all sports contexts, including their involvement in governance and decision-making processes;

Removed6. Underlines the crucial role of volunteers in sport and asks the Commission to develop recommendations jointly with the Member States concerning volunteering in sport;

Added6. Highlights that the European Sport Model must be based on the principle of sport as a public good, ensuring that public investment in sport returns benefits to society in the form of inclusion, health, education and social cohesion;

Added7. Underlines the vital role of physical activity for all, regardless of age, highlighting its immediate and long-term benefits for physical and mental health, as well as its contribution to developing and maintaining people’s social and life skills;

Added8. Stresses the importance of promoting physical activity among children and young people, including the involvement of athletes and para-athletes as role models, and calls for the increased investment in the necessary school sport infrastructures, quality physical education and extracurricular sport programmes;

Added9. Stresses the preventive role of sport in addressing the social isolation, violence and radicalisation of young people, and highlights the need to protect them from any form of abuse in sport;

Added10. Underlines the crucial role of volunteers in sport, and calls on the Commission to develop recommendations jointly with the Member States to support and incentivise volunteering in sport, including guidelines for attracting, acknowledging and retaining volunteers in sport, both for grassroots and professional sport;

Added11. Acknowledges that grassroots sport in Europe is characterised by strong civil society engagement with community-rooted clubs and associations, which are based on volunteering;