The minimum requirements applicable to professional players’ contracts – health and safety at work, health insurance, education for young players, rights and obligations, resolution of conflicts and image rights – was the first subject debated during the launch meeting of the social dialogue committee in the professional football sector, on 1 July in Paris. This committee brings together the International Federation of Professional Footballers’ Associations-Division Europe (FIFPro) and the Association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) and, on the employers’ side, the European Club Association (ECA). UEFA was asked to chair the meeting. It is the role to be given to UEFA that caused the postponement of the first meeting, originally planned for mid-March. Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimír Špidla and Education, Training, Culture and Youth Commissioner Ján Figel also participated.

FIFPro represents more than 28,000 players in 20 EU member states and EPFL represents high-level leagues and clubs’ associations from 17 member states with altogether more than 600 clubs in the EU. In particular, it speaks on behalf of those leagues and the French and Dutch club associations that negotiate collective agreements at national level, which currently exist in eleven member states. ECA represents 103 top clubs, of which currently 67 are in the EU member states.

This latest sectoral social dialogue committee is the 36th of its kind set up at EU level, the others covering industrial sectors, agreements on education, equality, and professional relations within companies.

Further information is available at ec.europa.eu/socialdialogue