Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-06-15-Speech-2-670"
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"en.20100615.35.2-670"2
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"Mr President, let me first of all thank Ms Pack for presenting this oral question on behalf of the Committee on Culture and Education.
I am fully aware of the political importance of this issue. I would recall that the Commission has now published the results of the independent study on sports agents. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of the issue at stake. We have learned, for instance, that around 6 000 agents are active across the Member States in all disciplines. However, 95% of them are active in only four sports: athletics, basketball, football and rugby. And within this group, football clearly predominates.
The study also tells us that only a limited number of Member States regulate agents through a specific law. Most countries simply rely on general provisions of either labour law or contract law. Some international sports federations have also adopted regulations on agents, notably in the disciplines that I just mentioned: athletics, basketball, football and rugby.
Although the existing public and private regulations may conflict with each other and create legal uncertainty, the findings of the study show that few obstacles exist to the free provision of agents’ activities across the EU. However, the study highlights a number of dubious practices related to agents’ activities: for instance, the payment of secret commissions, the exploitation of young players, etc. We must address such problems to preserve the integrity and fairness of sports competitions.
The sports movement has been trying to tackle these problems for some time. This is why a number of governing bodies have adopted measures to regulate the activities of agents. The rules put in place by sports bodies may have an advantage: sporting sanctions are sometimes the best way to deter unscrupulous actors in the market, be they agents, clubs or players. But sporting authorities do not have the power to investigate and punish acts which all Member States consider to be crimes: corruption, money laundering, tax evasion and illegal immigration. The sports movement is looking for assistance from the European institutions to tackle the challenges posed by agents.
The Commission has an important role to play. We can help to develop the common principles and standards that might serve as a minimum set of rules for countries and sports federations across Europe. We are now assessing which type of action at EU level would be most appropriate. We have several options in mind but, to finally decide what action we should take, we will certainly need further deliberations and consultations."@en1
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