Opportunities and Boundaries of a Sport Policy in the European Union

Two organizations have increased in complexity in the last 50 years: the EU, which was transformed from a community of six West European countries to a unique organization of 27 member states, and sport, which changed from a free association of the people to a sophisticated structure where commercialization, politics and non-ethical behavior increased the presence.The reinforcement of sport was balanced in some situations by the EU, the ECJ and the Competition Policy Directorate thus clarifying that involvement and intervention in sport will continue as sport, judged to be an economic and professional activity, cross the limits established by the Community Law. The relationship between sport and the EU has led to several outcomes: sport became part of the European project, the EU now has a Sport Unit and is oriented toward the development of a EU sport policy. A vision for this policy, however, seems to be lacking at the moment. The research focused on the results of interviews with 19 European sport experts. These experts identified some important elements which should be included in a European sport vision as well as some barriers related to the development of a EU sport policy.