BRUSSELS, 17 November 2025 - The Presidents of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of EU Member States, together with members of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Executive Committee, today met with EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef prior to the European Evening of Sport.  

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European Union, 2025

The meeting formed part of the European Commission’s ongoing consultation process on “A Strategic Vision for Sport in Europe: Reinforcing the European Sport Model.” 

On this occasion, the European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef said: 

“By inviting the European National Olympic Committees and European Olympic Committees to the Berlaymont today, I wanted to make our objective clear: a shared goal to move towards a gold-medal standard of coordination and cooperation between the EU and Olympic movement. Aligning our efforts to promote good governance in sport and uphold shared values enshrined both in the Treaties and the Olympic Charter is essential to strengthening sport across Europe. What we discussed today will feed directly to the ongoing work aimed to strengthen the European Sport Model from grassroots to elite. “  

Opening the event, EOC President Spyros Capralos, reaffirmed the importance of promoting a values-based European Sport Model, that is grounded on solidarity, integrity, autonomy, and the promotion of sport at grassroots level.  

President Capralos said: “The support of the European Union to the European Olympic Movement is crucial, and the EOC — together with our NOCs and the EOC EU Office — is proud to be a trusted and strategic partner to the European Commission, offering a platform to promote EU values through sport.  

“Our strong cooperation, built on trust, dialogue and shared purpose, is anchored by the second Arrangement for Cooperation, which guides our joint efforts on good governance, integrity, inclusion, sustainability, and the mainstreaming of sport across EU policies.” 

Participants underlined the importance of a values-based and democratic governance system for sport in Europe, based on responsible autonomy for sport governing bodies, aligned with the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union. 

The EOC and the NOCs highlighted their sustained efforts to strengthen good governance across the Olympic Movement through programmes including the SIGGS 3.0, SAFE HARBOUR and OCEAN projects, which are coordinated by the EOC EU Office and co-funded by the EU. These programmes also showcased concrete examples of effective social dialogue within the sport ecosystem through work with elected Athletes’ Commissions. 

NOC Presidents emphasised the need for sustained and adequate funding within the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 for sport organisations and sport clubs. Moreover, they called for continued support through Erasmus+ Sport and greater integration of sport into other EU funding programmes. 

Delegates also stressed the need for the upcoming European Commission’s Communication to recognise the contribution of sport to foster inclusion, youth engagement, and physical and mental health. Strengthening this alignment would not only improve policy coherence but also help ensure that available EU and national funding streams are mobilised more effectively to support sport’s full potential as a driver of positive change in society. 

The EOC extends its sincere thanks to Commissioner Micallef for the open and constructive exchange and looks forward to the publication of the European Commission’s Communication on sport and stands ready to continue our close cooperation with the EU institutions.