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EUSA at EU Sports Forum in Budapest

23 February 2011

 

LJUBLJANA Mr. Atilla Czene, Hungarian Secretary of State for Sports and Mr. Gregory Paulger, Director for Youth and Sport of the European Commission opened the EU Sports Forum which took place from February 21-22, 2011 in Budapest, Hungary. About 200 participants from the Olympic and sport movement, including leading representatives from International and European sport federations, European and national sport umbrella organizations and other sport-related organizations came together to discuss topics relating to the new EU competence in the field of sport and its implementation. During the first day, a particular attention was given to the projects selected in the framework of the 2009 and 2010 Preparatory Actions in the field of sport. Present on the forum were also the EUSA representatives, Mr. Leonz Eder, Treasurer and Mr. Matjaz Pecovnik, Secretary General.

During the first day, Mr. Eder and Mr. Pecovnik had an opportunity for several individual meetings with representatives of sports organizations from all over the Europe, among them also with Mr. Jan Holze, Chairman of the ENGSO Youth. EUSA and ENGSO Youth are partners in the European Anti-Doping Initiative (EADIn), a project which is funded by the European Commission and is being presented also to the participants of the Forum in Budapest. The EUSA Representatives met also with Mr Michal Krejza, Head of the Sport Unit at the European Commission and presented him the activities of the European University Sports Association.

European Commissioner for Sport Androulla VassiliouOn the second day of the EU Sport Forum the main attention was given to the recently adopted European Commission’s new Communication on Developing the European Dimension in Sport. The participants were welcomed by the European Commissioner for Sport, Mrs. Androulla Vassiliou. “I am committed to strengthening the European dimension in sport. Our discussions in Budapest will help the Commission, Member States and sport stakeholders to identify priorities and agree on joint actions on the basis of the Commission’s proposals”, said Commissioner Vassiliou, who also presented the new Communication to the participants of the forum.

Her presentation was followed by a debate in a high level panel composed by the Commissioner, Hungarian State Secretary for Sport and several Ministers in charge of sport as well as the representatives of sport organizations. The debate focused on the content of the Communication which covers the three main areas: the societal role of sport, its economic dimension and the organization of sport.

The EUSA representatives in the forum, Mr Eder and Mr Pecovnik, had also on the second day several meetings with the representatives from European sports organizations. One of such meetings was held with Dr Jeno Kamuti, the President of the International Committee for Fair Play. Later, the EUSA representatives held also a fruitful discussion with the Spanish State Secretary of Sport Mr Jaime Lissavetzky on the first European Universities Games 2012 to be organized in Cordoba.

The EUSA Treasurer and Secretary General met also the representatives of the Hungarian University Sports Federation, Mr. Heidi Csaba, Secretary General, Dr. Földesiné Szabó Gyöngyi, Board Member and Mr. Kovács György, Sports Coordinator. The participants discussed the organization and financing of the university sport in Hungary and future mutual cooperation between the associations.

 The next EU Sport Forum will be organized in Cyprus in September 2012.

 

(Source: Matjaz Pecovnik, Secretary General of EUSA)

 

 

 

 

The EUSA delegates with the Head of Sport Unit at EU Commission

  

EUSA delegates with Hungarian delegates

 

EUSA delegates with Jeno Kamuti