EOC President Spyros Capralos met with European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, at the EOC EU Office in Brussels on 13 July to discuss key developments affecting European sport. The meeting reaffirmed the EOC and European Commission’s shared commitment to open dialogue on complex issues, guided by their Arrangement for Cooperation, in the interests of athletes, sport organisations and European citizens. It also came ahead of several major EOC events in 2027, including two editions of the European Youth Olympic Festival and the European Games, with both sides stressing the importance of continued cooperation to keep sport a force for unity, solidarity and cohesion across Europe.  

The meeting took place on the same day as the EU Foreign Affairs Council, where the IOC’s recent decision on the participation of Russian athletes was also discussed, with European Commission High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas commenting on the matter at the Council’s press conference. On 14 July, 9 Member States submitted a request to Commissioner Micallef to suspend EU funding for any sports organisation allowing Russian or Belarusian to return to sporting competitions. 

The EOC looks forward to maintaining dialogue and close cooperation with the European Commission.