On 17 December 2019, a seminar on Specificity of sport within the EU was held in Brussels, Belgium within the framework of the EU approved work plan for sport (2017-2020), whose common goals are:
- Integrity of sport, in particular promoting good governance including the safeguarding of minors, the specificity of sport, combatting corruption and match fixing, as well as fighting doping;
- The economic dimension of sport, in particular innovation in sport, and sport and the digital single market;
- Sport and society, in particular social inclusion, the role of coaches, education in and through sport, sport and health, sport and environment and sport and media, as well as sport diplomacy;
- Adopting conclusions on sport as a platform for social inclusion;
- Develop a media policy to support social goals in the field of sport.
In the seminar participated: Themis Christophidou - Director General of The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), Heidi Sulander - Representative of the current EU Council Presidency of Finland and Roxana Maracineanu – Minister of Youth and Sports of France. The event was also attended by representatives of „Edge Hill University“, The French and Belgian Olympic Committees and the EOC (European Olympic Committee), as well as policy makers from organizations such as FIFAPro and UEFA.
The meeting was closed by Martina Jeričević - Representative of the Incoming Croatian Presidency of the EU Council and Antoaneta Angelova - Krusteva - Directorate-General for EACEA (The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency) of the European Commission.
The main messages of the meeting were that working together for a free and sustainable sport in the European Union is an important and integral part of our societies and we must take a serious and responsible approach. Sensitive topics related to national legislation and regulations in the field of sport and the need for a constructive dialogue to reduce economic dependencies in sport, both for athletes and sports organizations, were discussed. The main conclusions of the event can be summarized as a joint dialogue between the state, the sports movement, the economic entities, the local authorities, each of which should strive for and maintain an open and honest dialogue.
Lili Boirisova and Mihail Dadov, participants in the Sport Diplomacy Academy project, took part in the event form the Bulgarian sports development association – BSDA side. The project is legacy of the First Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018 and is focused on Western Balkans lot as a logical follow up of all implemented #EU2018BG Main activities: the EU perspective and connectivity of the Western Balkans, referring to the Sofia Declaration and Sofia Priority Agenda. Both European Union and Western Balkans partners should continue to invest efforts in strengthening the cooperation and good practices exchange, focused on democracy, security and fundamental rights. Sport Diplomacy Academy project ensures the educational mobility of coaches and other staff of sport organizations (incl. volunteers) linked to professional and grassroots sport. The 4 mobility modules, which will be implemented in each partner country, will improve the skills and competencies of a total of 80 sports professionals, as well as their qualifications, through learning mobility. Learning mobility is planned as an investment in human capital and a contribution to the capacity building of various sports organizations, with a clear focus on building a network of well-trained sports diplomats.
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