The EOC EU Office participated in the 45th EOC Seminar & Olympic Solidarity Forum, held in Malta, contributing actively to the event’s rich agenda on governance, sustainability, and athlete safeguarding within the European Olympic Movement. During the Good Governance plenary session, the EOC EU Office, alongside the IOC, levelled the playing field by reminding the participants of the universal principles of good governance, the EU-specific governance context, as well as recent European Court of Justice case law, which continues to shape the legal environment for sport organisations. The use of practical self-assessment tools such as SIGGS 3.0 for continuous improvement was highlighted.
Following the plenary, two EOC EU Office projects — OCEAN and SAFE HARBOUR — were in the spotlight during a series of engaging workshops. The Sustainable Development session, themed “Building a Better and Healthier World through Sport,” underscored the growing importance of both environmental and social sustainability in and through sport. Discussions centred on reducing carbon emissions, with the OCEAN Sport CO₂ Calculator, a practical measurement tool designed to help sport organisations monitor and reduce their environmental footprint, but also measuring sport’s social return on investment (SROI).
A second workshop, “Giving Athletes a Voice: Protecting and Supporting Their Integrity,” focused on the vital issue of safeguarding. Participants took part in an interactive case study that emphasised the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in ensuring athlete protection. The SAFE HARBOUR Project was introduced as a key initiative to help NOCs strengthen their safeguarding systems and implement concrete measures and tools to manage cases effectively.