Speeches

Dear President, Sport not only changes the world, but also allows many people to change their lives. Sport has great power to unite people regardless of race, religion, gender, culture or socio-economic status. It helps us stay healthy and happy and teaches us valuable skills at all ages. Sport is an increasingly important sector of the economy, generating almost 3% of GDP. GDP of the Union and provides jobs for almost six million people. However, sport in Europe is also at an important crossroads. More than 10 years have passed since the Lisbon Treaty gave the European Union a mandate to act in the field of sport. The pandemic was extremely difficult for the sports sector, especially at the amateur level. Therefore, sport and its values need more visibility and action in the Union. I believe that cooperation between all organisations involved in sport and state institutions is crucial. They should develop common assumptions and a coherent action plan for the future. Sport should once again be included in the portfolio of the responsible Commissioner of the European Union and the European Commission should appoint a separate coordinator for sport. I would like to see a sports intergroup in Parliament re-established in the future. It is important that sport can benefit from other EU policies in the areas of health, employment, youth, education, the internal market or the environment. To this end, sport policy requires further mainstreaming and coordination. This is a recipe for success for the next decade. One of our core tasks is to develop in Europe a model of sport based on values, solidarity, fairness and inclusiveness in open competitions. The main challenge facing us is to promote the European model of sport and protect it from threats such as the recently high-profile Superliga. Today we are sending a very clear message: Sport is for everyone. We need to strike the right balance between the pursuit of commercial interests and the social functions of sport. We must ensure that it is safe, accessible, inclusive and equal for all. It should serve and benefit everyone, but not only professionals. This is why the report proposes to increase funding for sport at local level and to increase the redistribution of resources between professional and amateur sport. This is essential to support less profitable competitions, such as women's and youth tournaments, which are important for the long-term development of sport. Sport should benefit from an increased share of funding not only under cohesion policy, but also under the new recovery and resilience instrument. Providing additional funding for sport is of the utmost importance. In future programmes such as Erasmus Plus, sport should receive even more funding, support the transition to a sustainable and innovative future. Therefore, sport organisations are responsible for developing the Green Agenda for Sport by aligning their policies with the objectives of EU climate and environmental action. There is also a need for a new, more collective approach to sports management. All representatives should be involved in this governance, including leagues, clubs, athletes, supporters or volunteers. Specific measures for organisational diversity and inclusion should be put in place. We also need more women in leadership positions. These increased efforts are necessary to ensure democracy, transparency and accountability. Moreover, sport cannot serve dictators, which is why we call for an end to large events in countries where fundamental rights and values are constantly violated. Sports organizations must adhere to the established frequency of important international sports events, putting the health of athletes first. Finally, I would like to thank all the Members of the Committee on Culture and Education, especially the shadow rapporteurs and all the advisors who worked on this report. I would also like to thank the representatives of the European Commission, the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of Europe and the numerous sports organisations, federations, sports representatives and supporters who have taken part in the consultations I have organised. I can confidently say that the final shape of this report is the result of very good negotiations and great teamwork. I hope that this result will be reflected in tomorrow's vote, as this is an important political signal for the whole sports sector.

Mr President, thank you very much. I would like to congratulate my colleague Michaela Šojdrova on the excellent and much-needed report on the European Education Area. Automatic recognition of qualifications, diplomas or degrees is essential. To achieve this, an EU Task Force on the implementation of the Bologna Process needs to be set up, in which all stakeholders from the higher education sector will be represented. Moreover, a key task is the digitalisation of universities in the European Union and the need to create a European online platform for universities. I would also like to emphasise the promotion of language learning so that pupils have sufficient knowledge of at least two other official languages of the European Union. We must also not forget about teachers and educators. Improving working conditions and the need for adequate remuneration for their work is an essential part of the success of European education.