1. Youth Convention on the Future of Europe
From 9 to 14 July 2002 in Brussels a youth convention will take place in order to give representatives of national and European youth organisations an opportunity to participate in the discussion about the future design of Europe. In all 210 young people between the ages of 18 and 25 will have the possibility of expressing their ideas about Europe under conditions similar to those of the convention, in the premises of the European Parliament and with the help of interpreters.
The EU Office has prepared a fact sheet for the national umbrella organisations for sports in the Member States and associate countries, which gives information about the necessary steps and the individual contacts.
http://www.european-convention.eu.int
2. “Sport and Broadcast Rights” Hearing in the European Parliament
On 18 April 2002 in the Culture Committee of the European Parliament a hearing of media experts and representatives of the EU institutions took place on the subject of TV rights in sport. As a sport organisation UEFA was represented as well.
As a report, the conclusions will make a contribution to the revision of the “Television without Frontiers” guideline. The focal point was the subject of the marketing of television rights, above all in football. The Parliamentary committee addressed the following two points as problematic in its statement:
· the centralised marketing of broadcast rights,
· the dizzying increase in the prices for broadcasting rights, which favour pay-TV broadcasters and make access to major sport events more difficult for a broad majority of the population.
Simon Johnson, a representative of private television in Great Britain, stressed in this connection that it is not central marketing in and of itself that is responsible for the concentration of broadcasting rights on individual broadcasters, but that the decisive point is who buys the rights and how they are treated.
Markus Studer, representative of UEFA, in response to a query, referred to the fact that UEFA annually invests approximately 10 million SFr in solidarity projects. In spite of the attractive offer on the part of the Kirch Group, the rights for Europa Cup 2004 were granted to the EBU (European Broadcasting Union), he said. (On the position of the Commission in relation to joint marketing see also our article in the Monthly Report March 2002)
Jean Marie Cavada of Radio France referred to the problems of the French radio reporters who, on the basis of the current contracts with the Kirch Group, did not obtain any accreditation for the Football World Cup 2002 in Korea. Cavada sees freedom of the press restricted in this way, since events with this kind of public interest such as world championships in football should not fall into the category of radio rights to be marketed. (On this point see also the article under Miscellaneous: Viviane Reding Meets with Football G14.)
3. FIFA Regulations on Players’ Agents Approved by Commission
The procedure for the investigation of the Players’ Agent Regulation, which was introduced in 1999 against FIFA, has now been called off. After FIFA had changed several rules concerning access to the profession as a player agent, the Commission no longer saw any violation against the European competition rules.
Setting aside a security deposit in the amount of ca. 136,000 ?, which up until now has hindered many qualified people from the exercise of the profession of players’ agent, will lapse in the future. In its place professional liability insurance must be arranged that insures the players’ agent against rights of players and clubs to compensation in the event of an infringement of principles. In addition every applicant must pass a multiple choice test that is identical and valid world-wide, and sign a code of honour.
The Commission recognises the objective of these regulations to protect players from unqualified and dubious agents, and attaches more weight to this than to the competition restrictions that accompany it.
For more detailed information, see also:
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=IP/02/585|0|RAPID&lg=DE&display=
