Not only is Europe facing serious ethical challenges like doping and match fixing at sports events, many EU countries are also facing challenges derived from increased migration, including the need to facilitate the social integration of migrants through sport.
That is why ALDE MEP Hannu Takkula, Rapporteur on the European Parliament’s report on good governance, accessibility and integrity in sports, today hosted a high-level hearing on European sport policy. During the event, he stressed the need for a zero-tolerance approach to tackle corruption and the need to make sports easily accessible to all Europeans: ”Participation in sport must better reflect the diversity of our society. Sport is now perceived as a fundamental right and everyone, including socially more vulnerable groups, such as older people, migrants and people with disabilities, must have equal rights to engage in physical activity.”
He stressed that the integrity of sport should be safeguarded at an international and the EU level. He calls on sports organisations at all levels to put forward concrete proposals to improve good governance by 2018.
“Recent scandals in the governance of national, European and international sports organisations show that it is high time to react. The aim of this report is to find solutions to tackle contemporary integrity issues through concrete actions, such as a register for sport agents. This, I believe, is a way to deliver more transparency in sport.”
Note to editors
The European Union has held soft competence in sport since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. Seven years later, Hannu Takkula’s report „An integrated approach to Sport Policy: good governance, accessibility and integrity” aims to evaluate the work conducted so far at EU level. Building on the EP report on the European dimension of sport (2012), it also suggests ways to improve sports policy and governance. The report was presented in the CULT-committee on 10th of October 2016 and will be voted in committee later this year, in the plenary in early 2017.
