European Parliament adopts resolution on esports and video games

European Parliament adopts resolution on esports and video games

On 11 November, the European Parliament adopted the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)’s resolution on esports and video games.

The importance of addressing this sector on the European level was further emphasised during the debate ahead of the vote, as the EU market for video games was estimated to represent over 23 billion euro in 2021. Rapporteur Laurence Farreng (Renew, France) also stressed the esports and video games industry as one of the only sectors that recorded growth throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, MEPs urged the Commission and the Council to establish a long-term European strategy to recognise the potential and growth value of esports and video games within the EU and to enhance EU and national investment to help retain European talents within the EU esports and video games industry. 

While the distinction between esports and sport is made, MEPs ask to evaluate the possibility of creating guidelines regarding the status of professional esports players, similarly to professional athletes, and to create visas for esports personnel based on the Schengen sports visas. Partnerships between the videogames and sports sectors are encouraged to “create new projects that bring added value to players and audiences”. Esports and video games were also further highlighted as potential educational tools to enhance creative and digital skills.

The need to educate players about the potential downsides of esports, e.g., match-fixing, illegal gambling or doping, is also acknowledged by MEPs, who call on the Commission to develop a charter to promote European values in esports competitions.

While the resolution is not legally-binding and will therefore not have any concrete effect on legislations at this stage, it still represents an important milestone, showing that European institutions are interested in the topic and paving the way for further measures.

Recent Posts

OCEAN Webinar: EOC EU Office unveils OCEAN Toolbox webpage

On 26 November, the EOC EU Office held a Webinar titled “Reducing Sport Organisations’ Carbon Footprint: Understanding Our Starting Point and Getting Ready for Climate Action!”. This event showcased key project milestones to European stakeholders from the fields of sport and climate action and introduced upcoming project deliverables. Tobias Wagner (Öko-Institut) presented the Comparative analysis […]

Read More
Meet the Winners of the #BeActive Awards 2024

On 26 November, the European Commission hosted the 9th edition of the #BeActive Awards in Brussels, celebrating projects that promote participation in sport and physical activity across the EU and Erasmus+ Programme countries. Out of 106 applications, 12 finalists were shortlisted, with winners receiving €10,000. The winning initiatives included “Ninos” project (Fundacja Rozwoju Sportu Espanola, […]

Read More
European Parliament approves New European Commission

On 27 November, the European Parliament voted to approve Ursula von der Leyen’s second College of Commissioners for the 2024–2029 term. The vote, held in Strasbourg, resulted in 370 MEPs voting in favour, 282 against, and 36 abstaining. On 28 November, the European Council formally appointed the Commission by written procedure. With these approvals, the […]

Read More

Related Posts

November 29, 2024
OCEAN Webinar: EOC EU Office unveils OCEAN Toolbox webpage

On 26 November, the EOC EU Office held a Webinar titled “Reducing Sport Organisations’ Carbon Footprint: Understanding Our Starting Point and Getting Ready for Climate Action!”. This event showcased key project milestones to European stakeholders from the fields of sport and climate action and introduced upcoming project deliverables. Tobias Wagner (Öko-Institut) presented the Comparative analysis […]

November 29, 2024
Meet the Winners of the #BeActive Awards 2024

On 26 November, the European Commission hosted the 9th edition of the #BeActive Awards in Brussels, celebrating projects that promote participation in sport and physical activity across the EU and Erasmus+ Programme countries. Out of 106 applications, 12 finalists were shortlisted, with winners receiving €10,000. The winning initiatives included “Ninos” project (Fundacja Rozwoju Sportu Espanola, […]

November 29, 2024
European Parliament approves New European Commission

On 27 November, the European Parliament voted to approve Ursula von der Leyen’s second College of Commissioners for the 2024–2029 term. The vote, held in Strasbourg, resulted in 370 MEPs voting in favour, 282 against, and 36 abstaining. On 28 November, the European Council formally appointed the Commission by written procedure. With these approvals, the […]

About us

The EOC EU Office is the House of European Sport, representing the European Olympic Committees (EOC), the IOC and other major sport organisations to the European institutions in Brussels.
CONTACT
crossmenu linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram