Since the Lisbon Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009, sport has become a formal EU competence. Ministers and the Commission have enthusiastically discussed a new EU sports policy and the Commission is set, early in December, to deliver its policy intentions in a communication. The Council of Europe, however, advises that the EU should build on work conducted in this area by the 47-nation body for more than 25 years now, says Council of Europe (CoE) Deputy Secretary-General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio

What was your message to the EU’s recent informal sports council?

I addressed the ministers - under the point of other business - to underline the importance of working together. I was pleased that the European sports commissioner Androulla Vassiliou supported this and emphasised the need to work together. It was also important that the Belgian EU Presidency put the topic of cooperation with the Council of Europe on the agenda. It is good that this willingness to cooperate exists at the highest level.

Do you have specific worries as to cooperation with the EU?

So far, we have had good cooperation with the EU. The situation is now changing with the Lisbon Treaty’s specific competence in the field of sport. But the Treaty also specifically mentions the need to cooperate with the CoE on sport. So cooperation is a Treaty obligation.

Is there not a danger of duplication?

We should make sure that there is a degree of complementarity. There should also not be different messages coming from the different institutions.

Are there specific areas in the field of sport where there is a danger of duplication?

I would mention anti-doping. Here, the Council of Europe has a convention and legal standards with a monitoring mechanism. As the CoE, we can prepare a pan-European response at a global level, notably in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It is important that we have a coordinated European position before going to the WADA. The CoE has experience in the field of anti-doping, going back more than 25 years. The EU should also make use of the existing mechanisms in the CoE. After all, 27 members of the EU are members of the CoE. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

Is the Commission willing to accept this message?

The commissioner herself is very willing to discuss how we can best coordinate our position. Europe should speak with one voice in the World Anti-Doping Agency. Here, there is an issue of representation, with three seats for the EU and two for the CoE. The problem with the EU’s troika seats is that there is very little continuity. This is a matter for the EU. Europe should speak with one voice.

Are there any other examples of the need to coordinate?

Another CoE convention concerns violence in stadia. We have built up much monitoring experience on how to prevent spectator violence. We have developed different tools that can have an impact on reducing spectator violence. We want to move from prohibition (for instance, prohibiting alcohol) to prevention. This can be translated into concrete measures.

Is this not turf war between the CoE and EU?

No. The EU can build on what the CoE has done. Minimum standards have been developed by the Council. It is not a question of defending one’s own turf. We want to share experience with the EU. The Commission is only at the beginning of this adventure. They can only benefit from our experience.

Is the pan-European dimension missing from the EU’s actions?

The EU27 are obviously not pan-European. This is also an issue that is wider than the EU. Take the example of violence in Genoa in September, when Italy played Serbia. Many people were injured and the match was abandoned after six minutes. In the framework of our anti-violence convention, we believe that the violence could have been prevented. Spectators would have been organised differently. There would have been different security measures and more exchange of information in advance. This is an example of the need for cooperation between the EU and non-EU countries.

Do member states and the Belgian EU Presidency see the need for cooperation?

The Belgian Presidency is definitely open to more cooperation. Member states, too, are willing to work with the CoE, after all they meet in our framework. The problem is that sometimes the officials are not the same people. We need to coordinate more. People who come to Strasbourg for the Council of Europe and to Brussels for the EU are not always the same, even if they are discussing the same issues.

What about match fixing?

This was one of the important issues at the Council’s ministerial meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan back in September. The issue was also picked up by the UK delegation at the informal EU Council in Antwerp. We need better cooperation between sports organisations and betting operators. EU ministers want to look into this, based on the conclusions of the Council of Europe’s conference in Baku.