The first meeting of the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) with the new European Parliament Members (MEP) took place on 4 September. Committee members adopted their opinion and amendments for the EU’s 2025 budget, inclusive of an amendment to increase funding for mobility of sport staff under the Erasmus+ programme.
Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission provided an overview of the European Commission’s work and current trends in sport and physical activity within the EU. H. Heide (S&D, Austria) stressed the ongoing challenge of securing adequate funding for Erasmus+, despite its success. Other speakers raised important points on discrimination in sport, the positive societal impact of sports, and the need to safeguard the European Sport Model, with L. Magoni (ECR, Italy) emphasizing sport’s role in inclusion and S. Repp (S&D, Germany) calling for support for volunteer-led sport organisations.