European Calls to Action
A manifesto, a consultation, a motion and more
Whether you are a sports fan, or working in a sports organisation, or more generally interested in climate issues, or some mix of any of those, there is something for you in the two calls for action from the European Commission in the last week. One call is on a Green Sport Manifesto and the other is on the European Sport Model.
This post looks at both of these calls and how you can feed in to them. It then goes on to take a look at an upcoming European Parliament motion, also on the European Sport Model. Following this, the post provides an opinion that, going forward, more focus is needed on European institutions in relation to sport and environmental issues.
Finally, alongside that is some further context on ongoing important European climate target discussions and also an update on UEFA discussions on domestic club games being played overseas.
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Green Sport Manifesto
There will be a launch event for the European Commission Green Sport Manifesto on the 8th October. Ahead of that the Commission has put out a call saying: “All organisations involved in sport in Europe are invited to sign up to five simple voluntary commitments and join others in highlighting their commitment to environmental sustainability”.
The initiative is targeting two groups. Firstly, sport sector organisations. Secondly, government or other public sector organisations. In doing so it is looking at the European-level, member-state level and locally.
For those people or organisations outside of these target groups this manifesto creates an opportunity to ask target organisations to consider signing-up and to learn about their reasons for doing so, or not.
It’s not totally clear to me whether clubs and organisations from non-European Union member states that participate in European competitions could also sign-up or not (though it seems not if I’m reading it right). But either way, for those not in member-states, this approach could also create an opportunity to ask sport organisations and public-bodies in their own countries to consider a similar approach.
The accompanying Green Sport Manifesto document is readable and useful. It does a good job of explaining why the manifesto is needed, its aims and how the initiative will work. There is also background on other initiatives supported in recent years.
It sets out a number of challenges identified in previous European Commission expert research in 2023, for instance, saying there is:
“little evidence to suggest that the European sport sector is on track to deliver on European Green Deal targets.”
“A lack of governance structures and clear responsibilities for green sport in many sports organisations, plus poor coordination across public bodies”
“A lack of capacity, expertise and training for environmental sustainability in all but the largest and wealthiest sport organisations.”
On the one hand it may be tempting to question the value of initiatives such as this, which involve organisations making public commitments. For instance, take the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework (part of the UN Race to Zero). There is clearly little progress by some of the signatories.
On the other hand, the independent Net-Zero Tracker found that UN Race to Zero members “perform significantly better on minimum integrity criteria compared with non-members. But both groups need to improve”.
This suggests that the Green Sports Manifesto is worth signing up to and organisations should be encouraged to do so, while recognising its benefits will need to be assessed and it’s no silver bullet.
This Green Sports Manifesto was developed through the European Commission’s wonky-named “SHARE 2.0 thematic community of practice on green and sustainable sport”.
Its membership is not clear though anyone can express an interest in joining the group here (and if you are already a member and want to share more about its work, please get in touch!).
The manifesto document also mentions other priorities this group has identified including, for instance: “Further work should be done to provide a vision of how sport will function successfully in a carbon neutral world, including ethical, sustainable funding and sponsorship” and “support the development of mechanisms to ensure greater accountability and independent oversight”.
So, there are other interesting and potentially impactful things to look out for in the future too from this group.
Consultation on a “A strategic vision for sport in Europe: reinforcing the European Sport Model”
The consultation was launched this week and runs until 8th December. Anyone can respond to it whether as an individual or on behalf of an organisation and whether in an EU-member state or not. The consultation says “Whether you're a policymaker, educator, athlete, or a sports enthusiast, we want to hear what you think about our plans”.
You can respond by leaving feedback on the discussion page and/or completing the consultation survey (I gave the survey a test run and it takes 10 minutes or so and includes environment-related questions).
The Commission also expects to undertake workshops with key stakeholders, including representatives of professional sport and representatives of grassroots/recreational sports. So for those that fit that bill, there may be other routes to contribute through too.
The consultation is clearly much broader than football and much broader than climate change. The European Sport Model is summarised as:
“A values-based model for sport building on openness of competitions, a system of promotion and relegation, solidarity mechanisms and strong links between grassroots and elite level sport. The system is rooted in inclusion, diversity, equality and other core European principles.”
This new consultation seeks to build on that model and set “a new strategic vision for sport”. It follows directly from the President of the European Commission saying last September that “sport is a European public good and an increasingly valuable European asset – economically, socially, politically and culturally … [the European Commission needs to] … instil a more assertive approach to strengthening our European Sport Model which has come under pressure in recent years.”
The accompanying call for evidence document starts by saying that “The role of sport in Europe has become more prominent and more political in recent years … [and] … Sport in Europe faces growing challenges”. Included among other factors in the ‘problem definition’ is a recognition that:
“There is also a growing need to address the impact of climate change on professional and amateur athletes and sport facilities and to ensure sustainability of the sport model by addressing its environmental implications, such as the environmental footprint of sporting events.”
It is expected that this consultation will lead to a European Commission “Communication” in late 2026 (A ‘communication’ is non-binding on member states and organisations).
While it is non-binding it says its impacts are likely to include “a sustainable strategic framework with an assertive and political stance to coordinate responses with Member States and stakeholders”. It will also help “identify actions and initiatives to promote and strengthen the European Sport Model”.
It also seems likely this would eventually inform any updates to the Council on the European Union Work Plan for Sport 2024-27 beyond that period.
So, while it may take a while to see it come to fruition, this consultation seems likely to inform some key strategic European actions in the coming years and is worth responding to.
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European Parliament Motion, Debate and Vote
A debate and vote by members of the European Parliament on a motion on the European Sport Model, is currently scheduled to take place on 6th October. Should the vote be passed, it would lead to the adoption of a resolution from the Parliament of its political position.
While it is not legally binding it carries political weight and can influence the European Commission, Council of the EU and external actors. This will, for instance, include informing the consultation by the European Commission also on the European Sport Model mentioned above, and also UEFA’s discussions on playing domestic league games overseas.
The motion for resolution in Parliament includes a call “on the Commission and the Member States to encourage environmental responsibility and climate adaptation in sport, including sustainable equipment and sports infrastructure management, carbon-responsible event organisation and environmental education through sport".
The motion also includes other calls that may be related to environmental sustainability, without mentioning it directly. For instance, it “Calls on the sports governing bodies to prevent domestic competition matches from being played abroad” (see below for more on the issue).
Elsewhere it urges “organisers and sponsors uphold the values of the European Sport Model, including human rights, democratic values and sustainability.”
This debate is a little over two weeks away. So now would be the time for those of you in EU Member States to contact your MEP’s if you want them to contribute to the debate, including on green sport issues.
A greater focus on European institutions?
The above work by European institutions highlights that there are important actions happening at a European-level. While being far removed from the day-to-day actions that are also essential, this work by European institutions is key to informing the longer-term future of environmental action in relation to sport in Europe and beyond.
It is also clear that a number of stakeholders are already working with European institutions to inform and influence its work. Take a look at the EU transparency register and you will see bodies such as FIFA, UEFA, The Premier League, The European Club Association and others have dedicated resources and structured engagement with European bodies. At the same time, a number of sport NGO’s also engage with the EU, as do climate NGO’s.
Alongside this there are established European level groups through which organisations engage. This includes the EU Sport Forum and the Share 2.0 Community of Practice on Green Sport (though there is not much transparency on who is involved and what these are doing in practice).
All that said, it is essential to question whether the voices of the green sport community are currently coming through clearly and loudly enough to European institutions. Looking from the outside in, it seems there are areas that could benefit from further work by European institutions informed by a great range of views and knowledge on issues, including, for instance, on transport, merchandise, sport diplomacy, sponsorship and sustainability reporting. Some of this may be happening behind the scenes, so it may be partly a question of more transparency, or I may be looking in the wrong places or misunderstanding things that are happening. Please say if that is the case!
Either way, it also leads to a further question: Is there a need for sport and environment voices to engage in a more organised way at a European level? This could be about working more closely with climate and/or sports organisations (and - just as importantly - vice-versa) that have an established approach to European institutions. And/or it might be about considering new ways for green sport community voices to engage more directly themselves with European institutions?
Plenty more work is needed by and with organisations and people, aside from a focus on European institutions. At the same time, to restate a European Commission quote above: “The role of sport in Europe has become more prominent and more political in recent years”. So it seems timely to think afresh about on engaging at the European level.
A bit of wider context
EU climate target
This work is taking place at a particularly strategically important moment for Europe’s approach to climate issues. As reported in Reuters this week, the EU is set to miss a United Nations deadline for new climate targets as it struggles to agree on a 2040 climate target. Reuters says this “leaves open the question of how ambitious the EU's final target will be - and increases the likelihood that the EU will lag behind other major emitters, including China, in setting its new climate goal”.
Elsewhere, Bloomberg reports that Germany and France are saying that the targets should be discussed by EU member national leaders at their October meeting. The FT has reported that such debate by EU leaders “raises the risk of the climate target being vetoed by less ambitious member states”. Separately, the article also mentions, starkly, that “Europe is the world’s fastest warming continent, heating at twice the global average, resulting in floods and fires of increasing intensity.”
This work on new climate targets for Europe will shape what Member States do in coming years and influence what businesses and others need to do, across all sectors, including in relation to sport. So keep an eye out for further developments on this in coming days and weeks.
Domestic league games overseas
Last week the UEFA Executive Committee discussed domestic league matches being played abroad. The previous newsletter post looked at climate concerns related to these proposals.
Following its meeting UEFA issued a statement saying “no decision was taken today but UEFA will undertake a round of consultation with all stakeholders in European football - including fans.” Football Supporters Europe has said they “welcome UEFA’s commitment to meaningful consultation in the coming weeks”.
Elsewhere following the UEFA meeting, the UEFA President is reported as writing to European national associations and quoted by The Independent as calling for more co-ordination:
“as a way to ensure that such decisions – which affect European football as a whole – are assessed in their wider context. By coordinating in this way, we can anticipate the implications and reactions at a European level, rather than allowing the debate to unfold publicly in a fragmented manner.”
UEFA’s commitment to further consultation on playing domestic league matches overseas, should also include further consideration and engagement by UEFA on potential environmental impacts. Alongside this, the call by the UEFA President for a need for more co-ordination on issues “which affect European football as a whole” should prompt further considerations on whether there is the appropriate level of co-ordination at present between UEFA and national associations on climate issues.
Fran James (he/him)
Football and Climate Change Newsletter
info@footballandclimate.org
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