The field of sport is still largely the responsibility of the Member States, and the European Union is therefore complementary, as it has only a supporting competence in this field. One of the EU’s main objectives remains to strengthen the societal dimension of sport.
Member States are therefore free to define their priorities and choose their budget. Even if there is no uniform sports policy among states, the European continent is known for its ambitious action in the field of sport. Indeed, many national and international sports competitions take place every year on European territory. This is particularly true of football, where the most prestigious competitions take place on the Old Continent. European champions excel in a wide range of sports.
European countries are also characterised by a certain diversity. While some sports, such as football, basketball, tennis and athletics, are played everywhere or in many countries, others are specific to certain countries or regions. This is the case of rugby, which is especially popular in the British Isles, France and Italy. Many of these sports originated on the European continent and are now part of the European cultural heritage.
European sports policy initially originated with the Council of Europe when in 1967 the institution issued its first resolution calling on member states to adopt anti-doping regulations.
At EU level, the first initiatives in the field of sport date back to 1974, when the European Court of Justice ruled that sport was a Community competence. In 1997, the Treaty of Amsterdam recognised the “social importance of sport” and in particular its role as “a factor of identity and a link between people” and in 2009, with the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, sport was added to the competences of the European Union.
Subsequently, the EU has multiplied initiatives around the economic role of sport and its importance for health, education, social integration and culture.
In 2014, the EU established the European Sports Week, which aims to promote the importance of physical activity for health and social inclusion.
Europe will again host the Summer Olympics in 2024 in Paris and the Winter Olympics in 2026 in Milan.
The figures
On the scale of the European continent, the sports sector represents a significant part of the production of wealth. The few studies on this subject estimate that it represents between 3.4% and 3.7% of GDP for approximately 15 million jobs.
EU funding and initiatives
The European Council has set two work plans to manage the economic growth of sport in order to limit its excesses (corruption, doping, non-compliance with labour law) and develop its societal dimension (education, training, social links, health). In budgetary terms, this strategy is financed via the Erasmus + programme, which for the first time in the 2014-2020 period has devoted 1.8% of its budget to sport.