On 11 March, a joint meeting of the European Parliament’s committees responsible for Culture and Sport (CULT) and Budget (BUDG) took place, aiming to discuss how to make the Erasmus+ programme accessible to people with fewer opportunities.
During the dialogue, Commissioner Ivanova mentioned sport as one of the main fields of Erasmus+ where measures to foster inclusion are taken. A successful project in Cyprus dedicated to inclusion and diversity, non-discrimination, and safe and accessible sport was mentioned. Commissioner Ivanova also addressed members of the CULT Committee in a separate meeting, during which she mentioned the upcoming EU Sport Forum (16-17 April), marking 100 days until the start of the Olympic Games. The main topics of the Forum will be integrity, sustainability, and equality.
In the context of the International Women’s Day´s celebrations on 12 March in the plenary session of the European Parliament, Ivana Andrés and Alba Redondo from the Spanish women’s national football team, had the opportunity to reiterate the responsibility of policy makers to make to sports more inclusive and equal. The two athletes called for education through sport as a key facilitator for a fairer society and highlighted the necessity of role models in sports (ie. women athletes) to overcome obstacles posed by gender inequalities, which especially persist in media coverage, sponsorship and pay – or in gender-based violence that has been witnessed during the 2023 Women´s World Cup. President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola and MEPs from various political groups stated that such issues need to be addressed through cultural and structural changes and through the enhanced representation of women at the decision-making levels in (sport) governing bodies and institutions. Meanwhile, Stefania Zambelli (EPP) questioned the European Commission regarding its approach to eradicate systematic discrimination and inequality of women in sport. The written answer is pending.The EOC EU Office commits to supporting its partners in implementing their gender equality strategies at the national level with the GAMES project, thanks to which 8 European NOCs could elaborate their tailor-made action plan to enhance women´s representation in sports leadership.
In the context of International Women’s Day, the European Parliament’s FEMM Committee organized a meeting about Women in Sport on 7 March. The event included a panel conversation involving Olympians, members of the PACE Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, and representatives from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).
Simultaneously, the European Parliamentary Research Service has released a new factsheet on gender equality in sport, including figures related to the Olympic Movement. The research paper notably highlights the following key findings regarding gender equality in the Olympic movement: one third of IOC members and honorary members are women (47 out of 147), in EU Member States, 4 out of 27 NOC Presidents are women (2023), 22% of all top decision-making positions in the national sport federations in the EU of the 10 most popular sports were held by women (ranging from 7% in Slovenia and 51% in Sweden), and 31% of coaches in Europe are women, from 9% in Portugal to 77% in Montenegro (2019).
On 8 March, the Final Conference of the GAMES Project took place as a hybrid event in Brussels. The event was attended by more than 100 participants representing 50 organizations. It featured key speakers and experts in the field of gender equality and good governance in sport, including representatives from the European Commission, Olympic Solidarity, IOC Gender Equality and Diversity Unit, EOC Gender Equality Inclusion and Diversity Commission, National Olympic Committees, Equal Rights in Sport, and I Trust Sport. Hence, the GAMES Final Conference showcased the achievements of the project, its deliverables, and legacies, as well as being an opportunity for networking and exchanging good practices to boost gender equality in decision-making positions and sports leadership.
The GAMES Pool of Action is available on the EOC EU Office website as an online tool or PDF! The Pool of Actions gathers concrete actions to promote gender equality in sports leadership across 3 main pillars – structural measures, pathways for women, and culture – and considering different degrees of operational and cultural readiness. The Pool of Actions is going to be further showcased at the GAMES Final Conference on 8 March in Brussels!
A report on the implementation and relevance of the EU Work Plan for Sport 2021-2024 has recently been adopted by the European Commission. This report will help to prepare the next EU Work Plan for Sport 2024-2027, which is currently being negotiated under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The EU Commission proposes promoting the "European Sport Model", developing values-based sport governance, green sport and upholding high standards for integrity as topics to be considered in the upcoming EU Work Plan for Sport. The report is the result of the EU Commission’s own assessment of the implementation of the EU Work Plan for Sport 2021-2024 and the feedback received from stakeholders, including the EOC EU Office and many of its partners through the public consultation and stakeholder meeting.
The Kick-Off meeting of the SHARE 2.0 initiative took place on 20 February 2024, organised by the European Commission. SHARE 2.0 is the follow-up of the SHARE initiative, launched in 2018 to bring local and regional sport stakeholders closer to EU funding opportunities. Four Communities of Practice have been officially launched: a general one on EU Funding, and three thematic ones on Health, Innovation and Green and Sustainable Sport. Each Community will have a Lead/Co-Lead and a Steering Group, which will be formed in the coming weeks and will hold the first meeting by mid-March. The EOC EU Office will be actively involved in the SHARE 2.0 and share relevant information with its partners.
On 18 March the OCEAN Project’s consortium will gather in Lausanne for the 1st Project Meeting and Module 3 of the Training Course. The aim will be to assess the progress made and acknowledge the first successes, one year after the launch of the project. The 18 NOCs will then be provided with feedback on their organisation's carbon footprint by the Öko-Institute in order to understand their main sources of emissions and learn about the main steps of the carbon reduction process. On this basis, the NOCs’ Climate Action Officer will be starting to draft a carbon reduction strategy.
On 15 February, European Parliament Committees FEMM (Women’s Rights and Gender Equality) and LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs) approved the interinstitutional agreement found on 6 February on the Directive on Combating violence against women and domestic violence. This Directive represents the inaugural instance of the implementation of EU-wide regulations regarding the criminalization of specific forms of gender-based violence (e.g. rape, cyber offenses), improved access to justice and protection for victims, and preventive measures. MEPs aim to present the finalized files to plenary on 22 April. The implementation of the new regulations will notably have a positive impact on women athletes and more broadly, on creating safe spaces for equal participation and thereby setting ambitions for enhanced good governance.
On 15 February, the Council of the EU's Working Party on Sport gathered to discuss the drafts of the 2024-2027 EU Work Plan for Sport and the Council Conclusions on “non-organised sport and free physical activity”. Objectives of the Working Party on Sport align with the Belgian Presidency's priorities which put forward the role of non-organized sport and free physical activity within the European Sport Model. Yet, the draft appears to have some difficulties clearly defining non-organised sport and underestimates the societal contributions and efforts of sport clubs. A new draft is expected to be presented at the next meeting held on 8 March.