§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment has been made of the implications for professional and voluntary sport in the United Kingdom arising from the latest version of Article III-182 of the draft European Constitutional Treaty. [HL3163]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyThe adoption of a legal competence for sport in the Constitutional Treaty will provide sports organisations in the UK with greater access to sources of European Unon (EU) funding and opportunites to share best practice and increase co-operation with sports organisations in other member states. A competence for sport would also provide legal clarity and consistency for the development of professional sport.
§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is meant by the term "promoting … openness in sporting competitions" within the latest version of Article III-182 of the draft European Constitutional Treaty. [HL3I64]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyThe principle behind the drafting of this clause of Article III-182 of the draft Constitutional Treaty is to promote fair access to sporting competition for all, both competitors and volunteers.
§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
What consultation has taken place with sports bodies about proposals within Article III-182 of the draft European Constitutional Treaty to give the European Union a legal competence in sport. [HL3165]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyMy right honourable friend the Minister for Sport and Tourism (Richard Caborn) maintains regular contact with sports bodies on all matters of interest to them, including Article110WA III-182 of the draft Constitutional Treaty. He met and discussed the draft of Article III-182 with representatives of the Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA), and received proposals for redrafting the article jointly from UEFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which represented the sports movement (including the Association of Summer Olympic Sports and the Association of Winter Olympic Sports). These proposals were taken into account when the majority of European Union Sports Ministers agreed a series of amendments to the draft article at their meeting in October 2003. FIFA, UEFA and the IOC endorsed these amendments.
§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they support a European Union legal competence for sport; and whether they agree with the latest version of Article III-182 of the draft European Constitutional Treaty. [HL3166]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyThe Government believe that sport is primarily a matter for member states. We are content, however, with the inclusion of sport as a supporting competence in the draft European Union Constitutional Treaty as it is clear that the Union may only act to support, co-ordinate or complement member states' action. It also expressly precludes any harmonisation of member states' laws in the area of sport. The Government are satisfied with the current draft of Article III-182 which reflects efforts to include the principles of the Nice Declaration on Sport in the draft treaty by recognising the specific nature of sport and its social and educational function. These changes resulted from discussions at a meeting of EU Sports Ministers in October 2003 during which my right honourable friend the Minister for Sport and Tourism (Richard Caborn) played a major role in establishing a broad consensus in favour of amendments to Article III-182.