B4-1086, 1088, 1102, 1119, 1139, 1152 and 1159/98

Resolution on urgent measures to be taken against doping in sport

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Council of Europe Convention of 16 November 1989 on doping in sport, the purpose of which is to eliminate doping in sport at all levels by laying down binding rules intended to harmonise national regulations designed to combat doping, and having regard to the measures proposed by the Follow-up Group to the above Convention, which met in Strasbourg on 5 November 1998,

- having regard to the Council of Europe's European Charter on Sport of 24 September 1992 and its Recommendation R(92)14 on the Code of Sporting Ethics, the purpose of which is to ensure that safe and healthy sport, accessible to all, is practised at all levels,

- having regard to the meeting of European Sports Ministers in Nicosia on 14-15 May 1998, which stressed the need for new laws to be adopted and for ethical solutions to be found to the specific problems of modern sport, in particular violence, doping, ever-increasing commercialism and the impact of new information technologies,

- having regard to the resolution of the Council and the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council on a code of conduct against doping in sport ((OJ C 44, 19.2.1992, p. 1.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 6 May 1994 on the European Community and sport ((OJ C 205, 25.7.1994, p. 486.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 13 June 1997 on the role of the European Union in the field of sport ((OJ C 200, 30.6.1997, p. 252.)),

- having regard to Article 129(1) of the EC Treaty,

- having regard to declaration No 29 on sport which is appended to the Amsterdam Treaty and stressing in particular the 'social importance' of sport, especially its role in promoting identity and acting as a link between peoples, and calling on the EU institutions to consult the bodies representing sports circles in cases where important matters relating to sport are concerned,

- having regard to the Commission working document, published on 25 November 1998, on developments in and prospects for Community action in sports matters,

A. whereas the resolutions adopted by Parliament and the conclusions of the Vienna European Council on the European Union and sport emphasise the role of sport as a means of social and cultural integration which should be taken into consideration in the drawing up of Community education, youth and public health policies,

B. whereas the phenomenon of doping in sport - as made clear by recent events - has become extremely worrying in all areas of sport and at all levels, both competitive and amateur, and whereas it jeopardises the health of sportsmen and women, falsifies the results of competitions, harms the image of sport, particularly in the eyes of young people, and undermines the ethical dimension of sport,

C. whereas this type of damage is facilitated by poor coordination of policies to combat doping in the various member states of the international sporting community and, in particular, those of the European Union,

D. whereas, therefore, there is a need for better coordination and complementarity (with a view to standardisation) amongst the measures and initiatives adopted within national law and by the European institutions, the Council of Europe and European and international sporting organisations,

E. whereas, over the years, high-level sport has become subject to financial demands which call into question the purpose of sport and threaten its credibility,

1. Calls on the Commission, in accordance with the instructions issued by the Vienna European Council, to put forward proposals with a view to implementing a harmonised public health policy to combat doping and establishing cooperation in research, prevention, information provision, medical checks on sportsmen and women, controls on the distribution and movement of doping substances and a crackdown on the networks which product and distribute banned doping substances;

2. Is surprised that, in its communication on developments in and prospects for Community action in sports matters, the Commission does not take into account the true dimension of the problem of doping in sport;

3. Deplores the fact that the Commission it is thus prepared to risk the Member States adopting non-harmonised laws and greatly regrets its lack of proposals with a view to the World IOC Conference to be held in Lausanne in February 1999;

4. Supports the proposal concerning the setting-up of an international anti-doping agency which will be put forward at the World IOC Conference to be held in Lausanne in February 1999, and hopes that the Commission will take part therein;

5. Considers that the role of the abovementioned agency, which should be an independent, transparent and non-profit-making authority, should be to increase the effectiveness of action to combat doping by coordinating the action taken in that area by international sports federations and organisations;

6. Calls on the IOC, with the support of international experts and in cooperation with the Commission, the Council of Europe and representatives of the sporting circles concerned:

- to regularly update the list of banned substances and methods and to set up standards and overall quality system for laboratories which are authorised to carry out tests on doping substances,

- to publish rules on anti-doping action which take into account any special characteristics of a given sporting discipline and to ensure that they are accepted by all international sports federations;

7. Calls on the Commission to pursue an active prevention policy by means of public awareness and education campaigns which emphasise the health dangers of doping and the undermining of ethical values and which are conducted in schools, amongst young people and in sports clubs and organisations, both amateur and professional; encourages the Commission to pursue initiatives such as the 'The Clean Sports Guide' which has been drawn up in conjunction with the Council of Europe;

8. Calls on the various Union bodies to develop close cooperation between the judiciary, the police, the customs services and other authorities concerned in order to restrict and reduce access to banned doping substances in sporting circles;

9. Calls on the Member States to take coordinated action to increase the number of checks carried out outside competitions and to ensure that the national federations fully accept their responsibilities as regards the imposition of sanctions on sportsmen and women who test positive;

10. Supports any proposal for binding regulations concerning the application of sanctions in cases of infringement, the monitoring of the medical environment of individual athletes and teams and also the protection of the rights of sportsmen and women;

11. Considers that professional sportsmen and women are entitled to working conditions which comply with elementary rules intended to protect their health and their physical integrity;

12. Calls for a meeting of European Ministers responsible for sport within the European Union to be held as soon as possible so that a common approach can be adopted in preparation for the meeting in Lausanne and so that political impetus can thus be placed behind the efforts being made by international institutions and organisations engaged in the fight against the scourge of doping;

13. Calls for the Council to submit a recommendation on this subject once the Amsterdam Treaty comes into force;

14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, national and international sports federations and the IOC.