Perspectives and inspiration for outdoor sports stakeholders in the context of the negotiations over the multi-annual financial framework
Across Europe, public authorities at many levels are currently negotiating the economic and social development strategies that will shape much of what Europe will look like in the near future. The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) represent the funding instrument underpinning regional development and Cohesion Policy – one of the main European programmes. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions. Though the Lisbon Treaty confers on the EU specific powers to take support, coordination and development measures in the area of sport since 2007, EU policy makers are increasingly recognising the importance of sport, not only for the obvious health and wellbeing benefits, but also for the major contributions made to the following policy areas: social cohesion, innovation and research, territorial regeneration, economic growth or tackling climate change.
The Share initiative – A strategic approach to showcase the value of sport
In 2020 ENOS joined the SHARE initiative (SportHub: The Alliance for Regional Development in Europe), an initiative launched in 2018 by the European Commission (EACEA – Sport Unit), to promote sport and physical activity in the context of the current negotiations of the regional development policies for the period 2021-2027, in order to foster interventions and policies that would promote sports (inclusive outdoor sports) across Europe. .
The place of sport in the 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy – Get inspired!
Although sport has not been explicitly mentioned in the EU regulations underpinning the Cohesion Policy, or the 2021-2027 regulations, there have been several positive examples of the use of sport for regional development. The SHARE initiative has recently published a paper that provides concrete examples of the different sorts of project, based on sport and physical activity, that can contribute in each of the areas covered by the five main objectives of the Cohesion Policy beyond 2020.