Brussels Bulletin

More employers than ever took part in the 2018 skills survey which helps to provide the evidence and direction for future qualification and skills development of fitness professionals. The 2018 survey included a notable increase in the number of larger clubs and chains that took part. Some of the main findings include:

In the framework of the EU Work Plan for Sport 2017-2020, EuropeActive participated to the Cluster meeting on the economic dimension of sport organised by the European Commission.

As every year, EuropeActive is again hosting several events in mid-April in Cologne in the context of the FIBO exhibition, the biggest Fitness trade show in the world with over 120,000 visitors from around the world.

The Sport Intergroup in the European Parliament organised a conference on empowering women through sport on Tuesday, April 10^th, in Brussels. Yves Le Lostecque, the head of the sport unit in the EC, zoomed in the EC initiatives on empower women through sport, such as, commissioning studies on gender in sport and cooperating with sports federations on gender equality. He told participants that there is a strong consensus between the institutions to make progress on this topic.

The latest Active Lives Adult Survey (ALAS) published by Sport England on 22^nd of March showed that 25.7% of population in the UK remain inactive.

The EU Sport Forum 2018 took place this year in Sofia, Bulgaria under the Bulgarian Presidency and was dedicated to “Sport in Europe, investing for the future generation". This high-level 2-day event brought together representatives from the European Commission and the European Parliament, the member states, the Olympic movement, the civil society organisations and further stakeholders. The event was opened by Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Eudcation, Culture, Youth and Sport.

Almost one year ago, on April 26th 2017, the commission presented the European pillar of social rights. It is designed as a compass for a renewed process of upward convergence towards better working and living conditions in the European Union.

The 472th edition of the Eurobarometer is all about sport and physical activity, or more accurately, the lack of it. The main finding of the research is:

‘Nearly half the Europeans never exercise or play sport, and the proportion has increased gradually in recent years’.

The 2-year EU-funded action SIQAF (Sectoral & International Qualification Framework to the EQF) enters its last term.

Transparency and recognition of all types of skills and qualifications are necessary to enable people in Europe access opportunities of being truly mobile between employment and learning, or within and between countries. Over the past 10 years, the European Commission together with the EU member states has been working on implementing and further developing the European Qualification Framework (EQF).