Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

The European Sport Model: serving EU values and solidarity

Change 12

Changed7.12. Stresses the fundamental importance of the principle of solidarity in ensuring that sport serves and promotes the interests of all, rather than the profits of a few, and reiterates the need to strengthen the connection between professional and grassroots sport through more effective financial solidarity mechanisms;mechanisms, to optimise its development;

Change 13

Added13. Calls on the Commission to encourage sports governing bodies to implement mechanisms and policies in youth development, aimed at rewarding clubs for training players who contribute to the continued success of professional competitions, thereby ensuring the long-term competitiveness of the sports sector;

14. Calls on the Commission to present a study mapping existing financial solidarity mechanisms and redistribution schemes covering different sports and levels within the EU, accompanied by recommendations for their further development;

Change 14

Changed9.15. CallsCalls, in this regardregard, for the Commission to support legal certainty for sportsports governing bodies and explore the need for redistribution mechanisms between big and small leaguesleagues, clubs or competitions and in different disciplines, including in youth sports;

Change 15

Changed10.16. Stresses the need to furthersignificantly increase funding for sport,sport and physical activity, especially under the new Erasmus+ programme for 2028-20342028-2034, in line with the existing horizontal priorities and to support further synergies between other programmes and funds;

Change 16

Changed11.17. Recognises the potential flagship role of the Erasmus+ programme in financially supporting grassroots sportsports organisations and the programme’s positive impact on citizens and society;

Change 17

Removed12. Believes that financial sustainability regulations are essential in sport, and stresses the need to effectively enforce and update these measures, including appropriate controls on player salaries in professional football;

Added18. Calls on the Commission to develop accessible and substantial funding schemes for sports clubs and organisations, with clear and accessible mechanisms, ensuring that earmarked funds reach the grassroots level;

Removed13. Urges the Member States to continue to insist that hosts and organisers of major sports events uphold the values of the European Sport Model, including human rights and sustainability;

Added19. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support investment in safe and accessible sports infrastructure at all levels through EU funds such as the European Regional Development Fund, with a particular focus on rural and disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods;

Removed14. Acknowledges the rising trend of foreign investment and ownership in European sport and calls on the Commission to safeguard the financial integrity and competitive balance of European sport;

Added20. Believes that financial sustainability regulations are essential in sport to ensure the long-term viability and integrity of professional sport within the EU; encourages the Commission and the Member States to promote consistent financial governance standards across all professional sports, and stresses the need to effectively enforce and update these measures, including appropriate oversight of athletes’ salaries;

Removed15. Acknowledges the risks of organised and financial crime in sport and believes that strict due diligence on investments and ownership in European sport must be guaranteed, including through extending the EU’s anti-money laundering framework to cover professional sport;

Added21. Urges the Member States to continue to insist that the awarding of hosting rights for major sports events should be merit-based and that hosts, organisers and sponsors uphold the values of the European Sport Model, including human rights, democratic values and sustainability;

Removed16. Highlights the need to address at the EU level the growing issue of doping across all levels of sport, including mass participation, recreational, and school sports;

Added22. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to encourage environmental responsibility and climate adaptation in sport, including sustainable equipment and sports infrastructure management, carbon-responsible event organisation and environmental education through sport;

Added23. Acknowledges the rising trend of foreign investment and ownership in European sport, and calls on the Commission to consider the impact of this trend, when supporting efforts to safeguard the financial integrity and competitive balance of European sport;

Added24. Acknowledges the risks of organised and financial crime in sport, and believes that strict due diligence on investments and ownership in European sport must be guaranteed, including through extending the EU’s anti-money laundering framework to cover professional sport;

Added25. Condemns all forms of match-fixing, which undermines integrity and fair play, and calls on the Member States and sporting bodies to strengthen preventive measures through enhanced monitoring, educational campaigns and cooperation with law enforcement;

Added26. Urges the Council to break the deadlock on the signing and ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions;

Added27. Highlights the need to address, at EU level, the growing problem of doping across all levels of sport, through educational and awareness-raising campaigns;

Added28. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to intensify actions against online piracy and calls on the Commission to bring forward a proposal for targeted legislation to address the issue of online piracy of sports and other live content, including by strengthening digital enforcement mechanisms, applying Know Your Business Customer obligations, promoting cooperation with online platforms and raising awareness among consumers;

Added29. Highlights the rise of dynamic ticket pricing, which can impede accessibility to sports events in Europe, and calls for the close monitoring of market participants’ compliance with EU legislation;

The European Sport Model: serving to promote collective governance, athletes’ rights and fans’ voices

Change 18

Changed17.30. Recognises that the autonomy of sport is conditional upon good governance, and calls on international, European, and national sportsports organisations, as well as stakeholder representativestakeholder-representative organisationsorganisations, to implement the highest standards of governancegovernance, integrity and transparency;transparency, with appropriate checks and balances to ensure accountability;

Change 19

Removed18. Welcomes efforts made by governing bodies on collective governance and encourages further steps to strengthen stakeholder representation in decision-making, with a particular commitment to ensuring the involvement of athletes and fans;

Added31. Invites the Commission to review the effectiveness and consistency of current EU measures in these areas, and to develop targeted actions and policy responses to address persisting challenges;

Removed19. Urges sport governing bodies to implement further measures on equality, diversity and inclusion, in particular to address the persistent under-representation of women in leadership positions;

Added32. Calls for a collaborative approach between sports organisations and public authorities to uphold these standards and to ensure that sport remains a trusted, safe and ethical space for all participants;

Removed20. Stresses the need for representativeness standards and checks as a prerequisite for stakeholder organisations to be in involved in governance processes;

Added33. Stresses the importance of ensuring that all institutions, sports governing bodies and stakeholders abide by the principles set out in the case-law of the CJEU in the field of sport;

Removed21. Calls on the Commission to promote social dialogue in sport as a key decision-making process consistent with the principles of good governance and to improve its representativeness and inclusion;

Added34. Welcomes efforts made by governing bodies on collective governance, and encourages further steps to strengthen stakeholder representation in decision-making, with a particular commitment to ensuring the involvement of athletes and fans;

Added35. Urges sports governing bodies to implement further measures on equality, diversity and inclusion, particularly to address the persistent under-representation of women in leadership positions;

Added36. Stresses the need for representativeness standards and checks as a prerequisite for stakeholder organisations to be involved in governance processes;

Added37. Calls on the Commission to promote social dialogue in sport as a key decision-making process, consistent with the principles of good governance, and to improve sport’s representativeness and inclusion;

38. Proposes that the Commission consult with relevant stakeholders on the establishment of an EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Professional Sport;

Change 20

Changed23.39. Calls onfor the EU institutions to protect and promotepromote, and for the Member States to implement, the fundamental rights of athletes,athletes and other workers in the sports sector, including social rights and protection, such as the freedom of association, collective bargaining, non-discrimination, decent working conditionsconditions, safety measures and occupational healthhealth, especially with regard to pregnancy and safetymaternity principles;leave;

Change 21

Added40. Emphasises the need for proactive risk management in developing and overseeing occupational safety and health policies, including factors such as travel, match calendars and overlapping competitions;

Added41. Calls for the EU institutions and the Member States to further support initiatives related to the dual-careers, lifelong learning, post-retirement periods, personal development and the mental health of athletes, in partnership with relevant organisations such as athlete commissions and associations;

Added42. Stresses that sports calendars have become more intense due to the increase in European and international matches and competitions, and calls for the involvement of all stakeholders in the calendar decision-making processes to avoid clashes;

Added43. Supports the right of athletes to be free to represent their countries, and emphasises that clubs should be required to release athletes for national team participation;

Added44. Calls on the sports governing bodies to prevent domestic competition matches from being played abroad;

Added45. Recognises the importance of international bodies in ensuring a transparent and fair transfer system, in line with EU law and European specificities, and calls for a strong emphasis on safeguarding the rights of athletes across all sports, with particular attention to minors;

Added46. Draws attention to the prominent role of sports agents or intermediaries and the unbalanced relationship that can exist between them and young athletes, and stresses the need for a rules-based approach;

The European Sport Model: how EU policy can serve to strengthen and protect

Change 22

Changed24.47. Calls on the Commission to present a long-term strategy on sport policyand physical activity policy, in response to the strong political impetus from the Member States and the EU institutions, focusing on key features of the European Sport ModelModel, and to propose concrete actions in this regard;

Change 23

Removed25. Calls on the Commission to fulfil its role as the guardian of the treaties in one of the most important social and economic sectors of the Union by actively monitoring and addressing threats to the European Sport Model, such as breakaway competitions that endanger the overall sport ecosystem;

Added48. Welcomes the existing dialogue on sport policy and calls on the Commission to ensure active engagement in the discussions at EU, national and grassroots levels, involving all relevant stakeholders in shaping long-term strategies;

Removed26. Reaffirms the specific nature of sport while upholding respect for EU law and recognises that there is not a one-size-fits-all way in which the European Sport Model applies across different sports;

Added49. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support data collection and evidence-based policymaking, in order to strengthen the role of sport as a contributor to EU policy objectives;

Removed27. Calls on the Commission to provide clear guidelines on the application of EU law, including competition law, to the sport sector, also in light of recent rulings of the European Court of Justice;

Added50. Calls on the Commission to fulfil its role as the guardian of the Treaties in one of the most important social and economic sectors of the EU by actively monitoring and addressing threats, at all levels, to the values-based European Sport Model, including breakaway competitions that endanger the overall sports ecosystem;

Added51. Encourages the Commission to use all the appropriate tools at its disposal to protect the European sport sector from any initiatives aimed at undermining it and transferring the value that it creates to outside of Europe;

Added52. Reaffirms the specific nature of sport while upholding respect for EU law, and recognises that there is no one-size-fits-all way in which the European Sport Model applies across different sports;

Added53. Stresses, in this regard, the need to protect the vertical nature of the European Sport Model, whereby promotion and relegation take place at national level, and annual performance in domestic leagues is the sole criterion for qualification to European competitions;

Added54. Calls on the Commission to provide clear guidelines on the application of EU law, including competition law, to the sports sector, also in light of the recent judgments of the CJEU;

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