EOC - EU Office

Position paper of the Olympic Movement on “Sport and the Lisbon Treaty”

During a meeting with Prime Minister Zapatero, IOC member and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter presented the position paper to the Spanish President, holding currently the EU-Presidency as well. Signatories include the IOC, the European Olympic Committees (EOC) and the umbrella organisations of the International Federations (ASOIF, AIOWF and SportAccord). Simultaneously, the document was sent to members of the European Commission and the European Parliament.

The main focus of the position paper is on the protection of the Specificity of Sport”, which, in the near future, will gain much more significance thanks to Art. 165 of the Lisbon Treaty. Moreover, signatories strive for an explicit commitment of the European Authorities on the “Autonomy of the Sport Organisations”.

The Olympic and Sports Movement intends to continue and intensify the dialog with the European Institutions, in order to achieve sustainable results for the future of sports.In particular, the sports movement calls for the following:

- To apply EC Internal Market and Competition Law according to the requirements of the “specific character of sport”; concerning in particular the “right to freedom of movement”.

- To support the “integrity of sport” and, especially on part of the European Commission, to assume the initiative for the co-operation of the European Member States concerning the fight against doping and sports betting frauds.

- To intensify the mainstreaming of sport in other EU policies like Health, Education, Social Inclusion and Structural Policies.

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