On the second day of the EU Sport Forum organised from February 21-22, 2011 in Budapest, Hungary; the main attention was given to the recently adopted European Commission's new Communication on Developing the European Dimension in Sport. European University Sports Association (EUSA) has been represented at the Forum by its Secretary General Mr Matjaz Pečovnik and Treasurer Mr Leonz Eder.

 

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 organisations. 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 organisation of sport.

After the morning session, the joint lunch with EU Sports Ministers, European Commissioner for Sport and representatives of the European Parliament was organised by the Hungarian Presidency.

 

EUSA representatives in the forum, Mr Eder and Mr Pecovnik, had also on the second day several meetings with the representatives from European sports organisation. 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 organised in Cordoba.

 

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 organisation and financing of the university sport in Hungary and future mutual cooperation between the associations.

 

The next EU Sport Forum will be organised in Cyprus in 2012.