42014Y0614(03)

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Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, of 21 May 2014 on the European Union Work Plan for Sport (2014-2017)

OJ C 183, 14.6.2014, p. 12–17 (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

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Official Journal

14.6.2014

Official Journal of the European Union

C 183/12

Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, of 21 May 2014 on the European Union Work Plan for Sport (2014-2017)

2014/C 183/03

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES,

I. INTRODUCTION

1.	RECALL the competence assigned to the European Union, in particular by Article 6 and Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, according to which sport is an area where action at EU level should support, coordinate and supplement the actions of Member States.

2.	RECALL the Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on a European Work Plan for Sport for 2011-2014 (1).

3.	WELCOME the Report from the Commission on the implementation of the European Union Work Plan for Sport 2011-2014 (2).

4.	ACKNOWLEDGE that sport can contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

RECALL the Council Resolution of 18 November 2010 where the Council agreed to convene, on a regular basis, generally in the margins of the Council meeting, an informal meeting of leading representatives of the EU public authorities and the sport movement with the aim of exchanging views on sporting issues in the EU (3).

6.	AGREE to further develop a framework of European cooperation in the field of sport by establishing a second three year EU Work Plan on Sport for Member State and Commission action.

7.	AGREE that activities at EU level in the field of sport should focus on the priority themes, key topics, outputs and working methods and structures listed in this Work Plan, and as set out in Annex I.

8.	TAKE NOTE of the 2013 Eurobarometer on Sport and Physical Activity and acknowledge the great differences among Member States, including results on voluntary work and sedentary behaviour.

II. DEVELOPING FURTHER THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION IN SPORT BY ESTABLISHING AN EU WORK PLAN

CONSIDER that a three year EU Work Plan on Sport should be governed by the following guiding principles:

—	to promote a cooperative and concerted approach among Member States and the Commission to delivering added value in the field of sport at EU level over the longer term;

—	to address transnational challenges using a coordinated EU approach;

—	to take into account the specific nature of sport;

—	to reflect the need for mainstreaming sport into other EU policies;

—	to work towards evidence based sport policy;

—	to contribute to the overarching priorities of the EU economic and social policy agenda, in particular the Europe 2020 Strategy;

—	to build on the achievements of the first EU Work Plan for Sport;

—	to complement and reinforce the impact of activities launched under the Erasmus+ programme in the field of sport.

10.	UNDERLINE that this EU Work Plan should be a flexible framework which is capable of responding when appropriate to developments in the field of sport.

11.

AGREE that the following themes and key topics should be given priority by Member States and the Commission for the period covered by the present Work Plan. They could be complemented by each Presidency in the light of any possible new developments:

1)	Integrity of sport, in particular anti-doping, the fight against match-fixing, protection of minors, good governance and gender equality;

2)	The economic dimension of sport, in particular sustainable financing of sport, the legacy of major sport events, economic benefits of sport and innovation;

3)	Sport and society, in particular HEPA, volunteering, employment in sport as well as education and training in sport.

12.	AGREE that the Work Plan may be revised by the Council and the Representatives of Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council in the light of results achieved and policy developments at EU level.

III. WORKING METHODS AND STRUCTURES

13.

RECOGNISE that:

There is a need to continue the cooperation on sport in the EU context established after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, based on the guiding principles listed in Section II of this Work Plan;

There is also a need for the EU to work closely with the sport movement and relevant competent organisations at national, European and international levels such as the Council of Europe and WADA, in particular through the structured dialogue.

14.

AGREE that:

Different working structures and methods should be established for the follow‐up of achievements from the first EU Work Plan and for developing new outputs in line with the priority themes and key topics, as set out in Section II above;

Therefore, five “Expert Groups”, with experts appointed by the Member States, will be set up covering the following topics: match-fixing, good governance, economic dimension, HEPA and human resources development in sport . The principles relating to membership and functioning of these groups are set out in the Annex II;

In addition to expert groups, other structures and working methods may include e.g. Presidency conferences, meetings of Sport Ministers and Directors, Commission studies and conferences, as well as pledge boards (4).

In the first half of 2017, the implementation of the present Work Plan will be evaluated by the Council on the basis of a report prepared by the Commission by November 2016.

IV. FURTHER STEPS

15.

INVITE THE MEMBER STATES TO:

—	work together with the Commission and by using the working structures and methods specified by this Resolution;

—	whilst respecting the principle of subsidiarity and the autonomy of sport's governing structures take due account of this Work Plan when developing policy at national level;

—	regularly inform, and where appropriate consult, sport stakeholders on progress made in implementing the EU Work Plan, in order to ensure the relevance and visibility of the activities.

16.

INVITE THE PRESIDENCIES OF THE COUNCIL TO:

—	take into account, in the context of the Team Presidency, the EU Work Plan priority themes when developing their programme, report on the implementation of the Work Plan and build upon the results achieved;

—	inform the Member States on ongoing or planned work in other Council formations that has an impact on sport;

—	at the end of the three years covered by the present Resolution, and on the basis of a Report prepared by the Commission, propose a new Work Plan for the next period, if appropriate.

17.

INVITE THE COMMISSION TO:

—	work with the Member States in implementing this Work Plan, in particular regarding the outputs outlined in Annex I;

—	inform the Member States on ongoing or planned initiatives in other EU policy areas impacting on sport and respective developments in the Commission;

—

support the Member States and other relevant actors in cooperating within the framework set out in the present Resolution, in particular by:

—	examining means to facilitate the widest possible participation of Member States and experts, as well as invite representatives from the sport movement and other stakeholders in the working structures referred to in Annex I, assuring a high and coherent level of representativeness;

—	establishing, as appropriate, groups of experts providing a high level of relevant expertise, as well as other forms of support for promoting exchange of views and peer learning as well as for building knowledge (e.g. studies);

—	facilitate the structured dialogue on sport, including the organisation on an annual basis of the EU Sport Forum, bringing together all the key stakeholders at different levels of sport;

—	use the financial resources of the Erasmus+ programme and other relevant EU programmes to support the priority themes and corresponding key topics established by this Work Plan;

—	adopt, by November 2016 and on the basis of voluntary contributions from Member States, a Report on the implementation and relevance of the Work Plan. This Report will be the basis for the preparation of a possible EU Work Plan during the first half of 2017;

—	where appropriate, make the outputs achieved in the working structures publicly available.

18.

INVITE THE MEMBER STATES, THE COMMISSION AND THE PRESIDENCIES, WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE SPHERES OF COMPETENCE, WITH DUE REGARD FOR THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY, TO:

—	continue close cooperation in accordance with Annexes I and II of this Resolution;

—	take sport into account when formulating, implementing and evaluating policies and actions in other policy fields, with particular attention to ensuring early and effective inclusion in the policy development process;

—

promote better recognition of the contribution of sport to the overall goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy given the sector's strong potential to contribute to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and new jobs and considering its positive effects on social inclusion, education and training as well as public health and active ageing;

—	foster cooperation with third countries, in particular candidate countries and potential candidates to the EU, and the competent international organisations in the field of sport including the Council of Europe.

(1) OJ C 162, 1.6.2011, p. 1.

(2) 5842/14.

(3) OJ C 322, 27.11.2010, p. 1.

(4) Pledge board: An instrument where mainly sport organisations can voluntarily make public their commitment to certain issues, e.g. to good governance principles or gender equality targets (see Annex I). The Commission will submit a proposal to the Council Working Party on Sport on the set up and functioning of pledge boards in the second half of 2014.

ANNEX I

Key topics (paragraph 11), requested outputs and corresponding working structures

Key topic

Output and target date

Working structure

Integrity of sport

Anti-Doping (1)

—	Expert Group recommendations on doping in recreational sport and doping prevention: Exchange of best practices and peer learning (2nd half 2015)

Directors General for Sport

Match-fixing

—	Exchange of best practices regarding the fight against match-fixing, in particular on a possible Commission Recommendation on best practices in the prevention and combatting of betting-related match-fixing, followed by a report on state of play (1st half 2016)

Expert Group on Match-Fixing

Protection and safeguarding of minors

—	Preparation of Expert Group recommendations to protect young athletes and safeguard children's rights in sport (1st half 2016)

Expert Group on Good Governance

Good governance

—	Preparation of guiding principles relating to democracy, human rights and labour rights, in particular in the context of the awarding procedure of major sport events, possibly followed by a pledge board (2nd half 2015)

—	Promotion of existing good governance principles, possibly followed by a pledge board (1st half 2016)

Gender equality

—	Preparation of Expert Group recommendations or guidelines on gender equality in sport, possibly followed by a pledge board (2nd half 2015)

The economic dimension of sport

Economic benefits of sport

—	Preparation of Expert Group recommendations to measure the economic benefits of sport in the EU based on the ongoing work to promote the set-up of SSAs in the Member States (2nd half 2015)

Expert Group on the Economic Dimension

Legacy of major sport events

—	Preparation of Expert Group recommendations on major sport events, in particular on legacy aspects with a focus on social, economic and environmental sustainability (2nd half 2015)

Sustainable financing of sport

—	Preparation of practical guidance on how to encourage transparent and long-term investment in sport, including EU funding, based inter alia on 2012 recommendations on sustainable financing of sport, including state aid (1st half 2016)

Sport and society

Health-enhancing physical activity

—	Preparation of Expert Group recommendations to encourage physical education in schools, including motor skills in early childhood, and to create valuable interactions with the sport sector, local authorities and the private sector (1st half 2015)

—	Coordination of the implementation of the Council Recommendation on HEPA (2nd half 2016)

Expert Group on HEPA

Education, training, employment and volunteering

—	Preparation of Expert Group recommendations to encourage volunteering in sport, including best practices on legal and fiscal mechanisms (2nd half 2015 or 2nd half 2014)

—	Exchange of best practices and report on the state of play concerning the inclusion of sport qualifications in NQFs with a reference to EQF (2nd half 2016)

—	Preparation of Expert Group recommendations on the contribution of sport to the employability of young people, including young professional sportsmen and women, and the creation of jobs in the sport and sport-related labour market. (2nd half 2016)

—	Preparation of practical guidance on compliance of national qualifications with international qualification standards of international sport federation (2nd half 2015)

—	Preparation of a report on state of play concerning the implementation of the EU Guidelines on Dual Careers (1st half 2017)

Expert Group on Human Resource Management in Sport

(1) The Council (Working Party on Sport/Coreper) will continue to coordinate the positions of EU Member States in advance of WADA meetings.

ANNEX II

Principles relating to the membership and functioning of the five expert groups established by the Member States and the Commission in the framework of the second EU Work Plan for Sport -2014-2017

Membership

—	The participation of Member States in the work of the groups is voluntary and Member States can join them at any time.

—

Member States interested in participating in the work of the groups will nominate experts as members of the respective groups. Member States will ensure that the nominated experts have relevant experience in the relevant field at national level and will ensure effective communication with competent national authorities. The Commission will coordinate the nomination exercise.

—

Each expert group may decide to invite other participants: independent experts, representatives of the sport movement and other stakeholders, as well as representatives of European third countries. Each expert group can propose to add other participants for the whole working period with the requirement that their membership be approved unanimously by the expert group.

Working procedures

—

To implement this Work Plan, each expert group will be responsible for appointing its chair or co-chairs at the first expert group meeting after the adoption of the Work Plan. The election of the Chairs will be conducted in an open and transparent manner coordinated by the Commission acting as the secretariat of the expert groups.

—	Each expert group will prepare a work schedule according to this Work Plan and will concentrate on delivering concrete and useable outputs in line with Annex I.

—	The Member States will be given an opportunity to give guidance to the expert groups in order to guarantee the desired outcome and timeline, as well as the coordination of the groups' work.

—	The Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, will decide whether it is appropriate to propose new actions for the expert groups.

—	The Commission will provide expertise, as well as logistical and secretarial support to the work of the groups. As far as possible, it will support the groups by other suitable means (including studies relevant to their field of work).

—	Expert groups will meet in Brussels as a main rule, but may exceptionally hold meetings outside Brussels when invited to do so by a Member State.

—	Expert groups will meet as a main rule twice a year, but can adopt a different timetable if needed.

Reporting and information

—	The chairs of the expert groups will report to the Working Party on Sport on the progress of work in the respective expert groups and present their outputs.

—	The meeting agendas and meeting reports of all groups will be available to all Member States, irrespective of their degree of participation in a given area. The outputs of the groups will be published.

—	The outputs from the expert groups will feed into the report by the Commission on the implementation of the Work Plan.

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