EU Council busy with sport issues: health, statistics, doping, match-fixing, possible European Week of Sport

The Council (Education, Youth, Culture and Sport) (EYCS) met in Brussels on 26 and 27 November 2012.
 • See Council press release

Health-enhancing physical activity
The Council adopted conclusions on promoting health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA). The conclusions call on the Member States to develop and implement cross-sectoral policies in light of the 2008 EU Physical Activity Guidelines , including closer cooperation between the sport and health care sectors. They also call on the Commission to make a proposal for a Council Recommendation on HEPA, including a light monitoring framework to evaluate progress.
• Text of the Conclusions
• Sport Unit website: Sport and Health
• Sport Unit website: EU Physical Activity Guidelines: overview of progress

Evidence base for sport policy-making
The Council adopted conclusions on strengthening the evidence base for sport policy-making. The conclusions illustrate the economic importance of sport and its significant contribution to achieving the Europe 2020 strategic goals. They also call for concrete steps to improve the production and dissemination of sport statistics, including further work on Sport Satellite Accounts.
• Text of the Conclusions
• Sport Unit website: Sport and Economic Data

EU representation on the WADA Foundation Board
The Council designated the three EU representatives on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Foundation Board who will take up their mandates in January 2013. Henceforth, EU representatives will have a 3-year mandate, which will increase the continuity of their work. The following representatives were designated:
– Mr Leo VARADKAR, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Ireland)
– Mr Romain SCHNEIDER, Sports Minister (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg)
– Mr Alexandre Miguel MESTRE , Secretary of State for Sport and Youth (Portugal)
The 38-member Foundation Board is WADA’s supreme decision-making body. It is composed in equal proportion of representatives from the Olympic Movement and from governments. The European continent has five representatives, three of them from the EU.
• Resolution of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council on the representation of the EU Member States in the Foundation Board of WADA and the coordination of the EU and its Member States’ positions prior to WADA meetings (20.12.2011) 
• Sport Unit website: Doping 
• WADA Foundation Board

Match-fixing
The Council discussed draft conclusions on establishing an EU strategy to combat the manipulation of sport results (match-fixing), which were adopted in the form of Presidency Conclusions.
• Text of the Conclusions  

European Week of Sport Ministers also held a public debate on the subject "From virtual sports to real sports: a step from the sofa to the playing field". In so doing, they discussed the idea of a possible future Annual European Week of Sport as a means of promoting the practice of sport and physical activity, taking into account similar national initiatives and in cooperation with relevant sport organisations.