The European Commission, DG Sport, published a new White Paper on Sport on 11 July 2007, with the objective of giving strategic orientation on the role of sport in Europe.
The White Paper on Sport is focused on the societal role of sport which comprises the enhancement of public health through physical activity but also, the economic dimension and organisations in Europe, and the subsequent follow-up of the measures taken.
The White Paper is the result of extensive consultations over the past two years with sport organisations and sport federations, as well as with Member States and other stakeholders.
DG Sport included, as a result of the consultations, a White Paper Action Plan named Pierre de Coubertin [[Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937): French pedagogue and historian, founder of the modern Olympic Games]]that presents 53 proposals, brought together and organised in four different sections.
White Paper: tackling obesity
The White Paper on Sport warns and reminds us that lack of physical activity reinforces the occurrence of being overweight, obesity and a number of chronic conditions which reduce the quality of life, puts individuals’ lives at risk and are a burden on health budgets and the economy.
The new document aims to work with the Commission’s White Paper-A Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity, which is related to health issues, as a mutual complement. The White Paper on Sport reminds the importance of sport movement as a tool for health-enhancing physical activity, but it also recognises that often sport remains under-utilised and needs to be developed. Public authorities and private organisations in Member States are encouraged to contribute in order to reach this objective.
White Paper Action Plan: Pierre de Coubertin
The White Paper Action Plan will guide the Commission in its sport-related activities during the coming years. The Pierre de Coubertin Plan divides its proposals into different sections that go from A to D, with different subsections.
The most important for health is the first one, the “Societal role of sport”, which subsection “Public health and physical activity” propose the following three measures:
-To develop new physical activity guidelines together with the Member States
-To support an EU Health-Enhancing Physical Activity network and, if appropriate, smaller
and more focused networks dealing with specific aspects of the topic
-To mobilise the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development
(RTD), the EU Public Health Programme, the Youth and Citizenship programmes and the
Life-Long Learning (LLL) Programme
The Action Plan also collects the Commission’s commitment of following up the initiatives presented in the White Paper through the implementation of a structured dialogue with sport stakeholders, cooperation with the Member States, and the promotion of social dialogue in the sport sector.
Next Steps
-The Commission will organise a conference to present the White Paper to sport stakeholders in the Autumn of 2007.
-The conference’s findings will be presented to EU Sport Ministers by the end of 2007.
-The White Paper will also be presented to the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee.
For further information:
– European Commission Sport
– White Paper on Sport Press Release
–Frequently Asked Questions about the White Paper on Sport
