Outcome sentence for the newsletter: All young people receive physical education in educational establishments and have access to opportunities to develop their physical skills.
The Steering Committee and the Consultative Committee of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) held their annual joint plenary meeting on 29 and 30 May 2024 in Strasbourg, France.
The meeting focused on the European Sports Charter. A working session provided an opportunity to present and share examples of practices implemented by Member States and sports organizations on a number of dimensions covered by the Charter. These dimensions include human rights in and through sport, sport for all, education, inclusion of migrants and refugees, etc.
Bruno Cremonesi and Claude Scheuer, represent the European Physical Education Association (EUPEA) at these meetings. The next conference of all sports ministers will take place in Porto.
Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) provides a platform for intergovernmental cooperation between the public authorities of its member states. It also enables dialogue between public authorities, sports federations and NGOs. This dialogue contributes to better governance, to make sport more ethical, more inclusive and safer. The EPAS has just published a new charter on sport which emphasizes the fundamental right of all young people to take part in sport. This right is linked to the need for PE lessons. This charter, which has been ratified by a number of European countries, provides a basis for promoting and defending physical education.
Article 1 states: “to enable every individual to participate in sport and, in particular, to ensure that all young people receive physical education in educational establishments and have access to opportunities to develop their physical literacy, physical fitness and fundamental movement skills”. Read the Charter:https://rm.coe.int/revised-european-sports-charter-web-a6/1680a7534b
The wording of the objectives must be contextualised according to the country, but we can retain that the conference of ministers retains physical education as a fundamental element in the acquisition of a sporting culture.
It should serve as a basis for initiating public policies to develop physical education with a view to democratizing Physical activity or sporting activities
For more information: https://www.coe.int/en/web/sport/epas
Bruno Cremonesi