EU Sport Forum, Madrid
On the eve of the EU Sport Forum in Madrid (19-20 April), Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, the EU Commissioner responsible for sport, was guest of honour at the Real Madrid-Valencia match at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
Commissioner Vassiliou, who was accompanied by the Spanish State Secretary for Sport, Jaime Lissavetzky, was presented with a Real Madrid football shirt by the club’s president, Florentino Pérez, and introduced to all the players including captain Guti, goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid won the game 2-0, to go within one point of Spanish league leaders Barcelona.
At the EU Sport Forum today, Commissioner Vassiliou will announce plans for the Commission to launch an EU Agenda for Sport later this year. It will have two objectives: first, to increase political cooperation on sport issues and, second, to establish an EU Programme for Sport which will financially support sport projects across the EU.
Commissioner Vassiliou will also emphasise the social benefits of sport in education, health and inclusion of disadvantaged young people, as well as its important contribution to economic development.
The Commission has just opened an online public consultation to gather views from the sport movement on the EU’s role in contributing to the promotion and development of all sports in Europe
