92000E2475

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2475/00

by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Council

(11 July 2000)

Subject: Recognition of the specific nature of sport in the Treaties

The recent summit in Feira, the last to be held under the Portuguese presidency, included in its conclusions the following statement: The European Council requests the Commission and the Council to take account of the specific characteristics of sport in Europe and its social function in managing common policies.

In a recent interview(1), Mr Jacques Delors commented: mldr To decide on the free movement of footballers by analogy with the free movement of workers is a measure with damaging consequences for the future of sport from the educational and popular viewpoints. (mldr) I have reminded Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin of the need for a protocol introducing asporting exception(comparable to the existingcultural exception) in Europe, with a view to injecting a moral dimension into sport and insisting on its educational aspect. (mldr) Every professional club playing in a national league in an EU Member State should be obliged to use at least six players of its home nationality. (mldr) It is their responsibility [i.e. that of the French presidency] to include the protocol which I am campaigning for in the Treaty of Nice in December 2000.

President Jacques Chirac, introducing the main points of the French presidency's programme at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 4 July 2000, made, in his turn, the following guarantee. We must ensure that the European Union takes better account of the specific nature of sport and its role in society. There is a real problem which needs to be studied and tackled. The French presidency will make every effort to do so.

In view of the position adopted by the Portuguese presidency and strongly reiterated by the French presidency before the European Parliament, can the Council state what practical action it is taking with a view to the forthcoming adoption of a protocol to the Treaties which will properly recognise the specific nature of sport and provide an appropriate and balanced response to the problems which have already been the subject of a wide-ranging and detailed debate, given the social, popular and educational dimensions of sport, even in the professional context?

(1) Le Figaro, 4 July 2000, first section, p. 13.

Reply

(16 November 2000)

While it is aware of the debate surrounding the possible inclusion of a reference in the Treaties to recognition of the specific nature of sport, the Council cannot prejudge the outcome of the current Intergovernmental Conference on the revision of the Treaties. It would point out, moreover, that any amendment to the Treaties is adopted by the Member States by common accord.