The EESC has always been at the forefront of promoting sport as a positive force for nurturing healthy values across all sections of society.

In its opinion on Sport and European Values, drawn up by member Bernardo Hernández Bataller, the EESC says that sport helps meet the EU’s strategic objectives, brings to the fore key educational and cultural values, and is a conduit of integration, since it is open to all members of the public, regardless of their gender, ethnic origin, religion, age, nationality, social situation or sexual orientation. Sport has a pivotal role to play as a tool for tackling intolerance, xenophobia and racism.

In 2022, the EESC’s work on sport focused on its opinion on The EU action for Post COVID-19 period: recovering better through sport, drafted by member Pietro Barbieri. After the long period of the pandemic, which hit the sports sector as a whole, and local sports clubs particularly hard, the Committee put forward the argument that a strategic approach was needed to boost and promote the role of sport and physical activity in building a more resilient and sustainable society, as part of the wider process of economic and social recovery.

The EESC has also underlined its strong commitment to cycling as a healthy and climate-friendly mode of transport in several opinions, such as Promotion of cross-border cycle transport and Transport in urban and metropolitan areas.

The EESC’s European Cycling Lexicon (latest edition published in 2023) is a practical example of its support for cycling. It brings together cycling-related vocabulary in all EU languages and is useful for anyone wishing to cycle in another European country and beyond.

In recent years, the EESC has also organised and supported cycling events. In May 2024, EESC member Bruno Choix led a cycling event across France and Belgium to promote the European elections and encourage people to go out and vote. In 2019, for the Grand Départ de Bruxelles 2019 (1-7 July 2019) of the Tour de France, the Committee promoted the role and increased popularity of cycling as a clean mode of transport. (mp)