Presidency
Austria
Period: July–December 2018
EU Council: 27 November 2018
Minister responsible: Heinz-Christian STRACHE, Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for the Civil Service and Sport
Sport Working Party Chair: Barbara SPINDLER- OSWALD
Adopted EU Council Policy Documents
Policy Debate
Topic: Major sporting events as drivers of innovation.
Guest speakers: Martin Kallen, CEO of UEFA events
Background paper
High-level Structured Dialogue
Topic: Oportunities and Challenges in the Context of Major Sporting Events.
Guest speakers: Martin Kallen, CEO of UEFA Events (EURO 2020)
Council Conclusions on the Economic dimension of sport and its socioeconomic benefits.
Summary Full text Source
These Council conclusions emphasise that sport is a significant economic and social contributor in the European Union, accounting for approximately 2.12 % of EU GDP and about 2.72 % of employment, while also offering important social and regional benefits.
They recognise that many of sport’s socioeconomic effects—volunteering, health benefits, innovation and regional development—are still under-represented in official statistics.
Member States are invited to develop national sport satellite accounts or similar systems, integrate, validate and publicise these broader socioeconomic dimensions, and treat sport as a cross-cutting priority across policy areas such as health, education, transport and tourism.
The Commission is asked to support development of improved tools, promote exchange of data and methods among Member States, and reinforce the role of the sports movement in data-collection and best-practice exchange. Overall, the document calls for better evidence, measurement and integration of sport’s full value into policy-making.