mr president let me first of all thank ms pack for presenting this oral question on behalf of the committee on culture and education
i am fully aware of the political importance of this issue
i would recall that the commission has now published the results of the independent study on sports agents
the study provides a comprehensive analysis of the issue at stake
we have learned for instance that around six zero agents are active across the member states in all disciplines
however ninety-five of them are active in only four sports athletics basketball football and rugby
and within this group football clearly predominates
the study also tells us that only a limited number of member states regulate agents through a specific law
most countries simply rely on general provisions of either labour law or contract law
some international sports federations have also adopted regulations on agents notably in the disciplines that i just mentioned athletics basketball football and rugby
although the existing public and private regulations may conflict with each other and create legal uncertainty the findings of the study show that few obstacles exist to the free provision of agents activities across the eu
however the study highlights a number of dubious practices related to agents activities for instance the payment of secret commissions the exploitation of young players etc
we must address such problems to preserve the integrity and fairness of sports competitions
the sports movement has been trying to tackle these problems for some time
this is why a number of governing bodies have adopted measures to regulate the activities of agents
the rules put in place by sports bodies may have an advantage sporting sanctions are sometimes the best way to deter unscrupulous actors in the market be they agents clubs or players
but sporting authorities do not have the power to investigate and punish acts which all member states consider to be crimes corruption money laundering tax evasion and illegal immigration
the sports movement is looking for assistance from the european institutions to tackle the challenges posed by agents
the commission has an important role to play
we can help to develop the common principles and standards that might serve as a minimum set of rules for countries and sports federations across europe
we are now assessing which type of action at eu level would be most appropriate
we have several options in mind but to finally decide what action we should take we will certainly need further deliberations and consultations
