INTERVIEW
Michal Krejza
Karen Maxwell talks to the head of the Sport
Unit at the EU about the current issues that
affect European and, more specifically, UK sport
ssuming the Lisbon Treaty Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Mace- respect those different approaches and
A
comes into force next year, donia and Kosovo in transforming their respect the autonomy of sport organisa-
Michal Krejza believes that economies and societies. tions to run their own affairs.
the Commission’s Sport Unit “At EU level, sport is a cross-sectoral When we decided to draft the White
will be extending its role in represent- field touching upon aspects of many Paper we listened to everyone who
ing the interests of sport stakeholders in different policy areas, such as free had a say in sport. The White Paper
EU policy-making within the European movement of people, competition, created a useful and pragmatic frame-
Commission. “There are several wider health, education, social integration, work for our present and future
issues that affect sport in Europe and and media rights,” Krejza explains. activities. We took a commitment to
specifically in the UK and the unit takes This diversity is reflected in the first implement 53 concrete actions in a
its role as the ‘first point of call’ very major EU policy document on sport, the timeframe of five years and more than
seriously,” he says. White Paper on Sport adopted in 2007, two-thirds of the actions have been or
Currently the only head of unit in the which Krejza himself prepared. are about to be completed.
Commission whose team focuses soley Krejza says that the main challenge,
on sport, Krejza leads and co-ordinates White Paper on Sport following the Lisbon Treaty, will be
a team of 12 dedicated people from dif- Detailed within the White Paper, Kre- to identify areas where the sport unit
ferent European countries and cultures. jza’s team made it clear that the role can help sport by contributing some-
“We’re the sports people who provide of the European Commission in sport thing that member states and sport
the Commission with the necessary ex- was not to replace the member states, organisations could not, or not so
pertise on sport issues,” he explains. nor to regulate the activity of sport easily, do on their own.
A Dutch lawyer of Czech origin, Krejza organisations. “The role of the Commis- “We need to build on the diversity of
was appointed head of the Commis- sion is not to support the views of one European sport to co-operate and ex-
sion’s Sport Unit in 2006. Having worked sport organisation against others, nor change best practice,” he says. “This year
at the European Commission through- to award to a sport organisation the we’ve offered a series of grants in order
out the 1990s, he gained experience right to regulate sport without due to pilot larger future actions to finance
in a wide range of EU legislation – from respect of EU law,” he explains. projects in the field of sport. We’re se-
trade, internal market and competi- “Member states approach sport in lecting projects in the areas of health,
tion to border management, transport, many different ways. In some countries disability, education and training, and
health and education – while he assisted sport is regulated by law, in others or- gender equality and I can tell you that
potential future Central and Eastern ganised sport is autonomous with little we are delighted with the number and
European member states such as the or no governmental intervention. We the quality of the proposals.”
14 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital Issue 4 2009 © cybertrek 2009
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