Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-12-01-Speech-3-043"

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"en.19991201.6.3-043"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, this is an important time for sport in Europe because it is now firmly on the agenda. This has come about quite simply because sport is a popular phenomenon. Europe is responsible for its people and must therefore look after and preserve what is good in sport and try to solve the problems which arise. You may remember that, in Mr Prodi’s inaugural speech to this House, he spoke of the new Commission’s desire to be on close terms with the people and, in this context, he emphasised the importance of fighting the scourge of drugs. We also need a new approach with regard to the people of Europe. The Commission does not want to appear to be shut off in its ivory tower devising regulations to impose on the good people. Absolutely not. We believe that our role is to find a consensus between those who, in the Member States, have political responsibility and those who, in the world of sport, have responsibility for organising sport. We are all going to get round a table to discuss, listen and find out what is not working and propose solutions which respect the independence of sports federations and the subsidiarity implemented in our fifteen Member States. Before then we will start to look at the benefits and obstacles to sport in European legislation. For example, some practices have nothing to do with the rules on competition. Therefore, the fact that a football team has eleven players has nothing to do with competition. This aspect is completely outside the area of competition. There are also practices which are, in principle, prohibited under the rules on competition. For example, if, during a major championship, tickets are sold only to nationals and sales to non-nationals or other European citizens are refused, this contravenes the rules on competition and positive action must be taken against this. However, where there is an apparent conflict with the rules on competition but the sports federations undertake in their actions to use the funds raised to bring education and social action to sport, some practices are then likely to be exempted from the rules on competition. I can give you a specific example of this. Some federations have up to now collectively sold audiovisual rights. If this monopoly action only benefits the business world, it is clear that this comes under business. However, if the money raised is distributed to the clubs which provide education and training to youngsters, this action is in the collective interest and an exemption from the rules on competition is allowed. I have briefly explained how we will act in the future with regard to the new sports policy to be introduced. From next year, a wide-ranging dialogue will be held with all the federations, large or small, and the politicians in our Member States so that together we can decide how to ‘regulate’. The aim will not be to draw up new rules but to establish barriers and safeguards so that everything is clear. We must work together in the interests of our young people, fair play and the commitment of sport to society in its fight against racism and xenophobia. Sport must be positive and accessible. This is something we all want but which is rarely the case at the moment. This is now being achieved. The first stone has been laid today of a structure which will be built to ensure that fair play once again becomes an integral part of sport. The anti-doping campaign will be in two stages. Firstly, the Commission has helped to set up the World Anti-Doping Agency. This was not easy, to say the least. In fact, it was very complicated, but we fought hard and finally achieved this goal. I have been appointed by the Commission to negotiate with the Council and the President of the International Olympic Committee, Mr Samaranch, to ensure that this new anti-doping agency is established on a sound basis. What is this basis? Firstly, it must be transparent and independent. Secondly, it must equally represent the worlds of sport and government. Thirdly, all its members worldwide must make solemn the commitment to implement the decisions taken by the agency in their own area. Finally, this agency clearly must be responsible for drawing up the list of banned products, monitoring the laboratories, setting up control systems, establishing out-of-competition tests and enforcing the law. This last item involves combating the gangs which sell banned products. The agency must also be responsible for prevention so that young people dissociate themselves psychologically and actively from the scourge of drugs. Madam President, I can inform you that the decision makers of the IOC have listened to both the Council and the Commission. Europe’s demands have been entered word for word in the statutes of the new agency and, on 10 November, these statutes were signed. In future we will have two representatives on the board of this agency, as will the Council of Europe. Furthermore, the latter asked us to negotiate on its behalf, so we negotiated not just for the European Union but also for the Council of Europe. It is due to the actions of Europe that this agency has come into being. Whether or not it succeeds in its mission no longer depends on us, as we will be but two of thirty to forty partners. We must take the fight forward together and jointly establish the foundations for an anti-doping campaign. We have done our best in this first step and the next steps must be taken together with our worldwide partners. We do not have total freedom of movement to make this world agency succeed although we will do everything in our power to ensure this happens, but the other partners must be in agreement. We have therefore decided at the same time to draw up a European plan of action against doping in which we will be totally free to meet our obligations. This plan of action was decided upon this morning by the Commission, bringing together several Commissioners, each responsible for their own area. The Research Commissioner will use the basic or applied research programmes of the Fifth Framework Research programme, as well as other options, in the anti-doping campaign in order to reinforce the means available to this campaign. The Education and Youth Commissioner will allow the Socrates, Leonardo and Youth programmes to be used for providing training and establishing cooperation between young people so that the anti-doping campaign becomes something that is sought after by European youth. The Health Commissioner will ensure that the existing directives, for example, on labelling of medicines for human use, are also developed in terms of anti-doping. He has also promised to submit a recommendation covering all the issues of public health, health of young sportspeople and health of sportspeople in general for wide-ranging and concerted action by the Member States in the campaign against doping. On the enforcement side, the Commissioner responsible for third pillar issues, namely internal policies, will use existing plans and programmes to make the forces of law and order aware of this anti-doping campaign. Madam President, you know that from next year, at both world and European level, we are going to make the anti-doping campaign a spearhead of our sports policy. We also have a second plan. During the Vienna Summit, the governments asked us to submit for the Helsinki Summit a document on sport as an element of society, or social sport. This House, on 17 December last year I believe, adopted a resolution on this same subject. We are about to fulfil our mandate because the Commission has decided to submit a plan concerning a communication on preserving current sports structures and the social function of sports in the Community framework. It is clear that the Commission and the EU have no legal basis for starting to lay down regulations. We will not do this, because we do not have the power to do this. However, in all the political areas where we do have a legal basis we will use the existing means to work for sport. I can give you a very specific example. In the Structural Funds, a significant part of the money can be allocated to projects in favour of sport."@en1
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