NEWS

After COVID-19 pandemic, on January 30, 2023 the European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) organized in Brussels the 2023 Erasmus+Sport Info Day to inform on the EU funding opportunities. Around 700 participants attended the event in presence, whereas a large audience participated in an online modality.  EAS was represented by Laura Capranica (President), Mojca Doupona (Treasures), Ole Keldorf (Secretary General) and Antonio Figueiredo (ExCom Members).

Mr Yves Le Lostecque, Head of Erasmus Mundus & Sport Unit at EACEA opened the welcome session, followed by Mr Tomas Johansson, Senior Adviser at the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs of the Swedish Government, and video messages by Ms Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth and Ms Tiziana Beghin, Member of the European Parliament.

Ms Gael Broze, Head of Erasmus Sport Sector – EACEA; Ms Vanina Milanova, President of the EMCA Assembly and Secretary General of Levski – Bulgaria; Ms Ana Silva, Expert at the Sport Cabinet at the Municipality of Lousada – Portugal; and Mr Luciano Di Fonzo, Deputy Head of Erasmus Mundus & Sport Unit at EACEA participated in the first session dedicated to the Erasmus+ Sport Programme and project implementation chaired by Mr Le Lostecque.

Ms Florencia Van Houdt, Head of Sport Unit at DG EAC of the European Commission chaired the second session was dedicated to Erasmus+ Sport Policy priorities and innovation, with Mr Stefano Pintus, Sport Unit Policy Officer at DG EAC of the European Commission, Ms Laura Capranica, Professor at the University of Rome Foro Italico and President of EAS; Mr Bart Ooijen, Netherlands Permanent Representation to the EU; Mr Thomas Pedersen-Smith, Head of National Associations at the European Hockey Federation; and Ms Cathy Verschoore, Deputy Manager at the Department of Culture, Sports and Leisure at the City of Gent, Belgium. The panelists illustrated successful examples of innovative Erasmus+ projects and presented some advice for future applications.

To facilitate the preparation of ERASMUS+sport and Capacity Building applications, three parallel sessions were organized in the afternoon, followed by the last plenary session on other EU funding opportunities, which was co-chaired by Mr Luciano Di Fonzo and Mr Olivier Smith, Deputy Head of Unit Sport Policy at DG EAC of the European Commission. The panelists Ms Violeta Birzniece, Ms Michael Serneels, Ms Izabela Pelczynska, and Ms Sophie Lemel presented the mobility, pilot projects, preparatory actions, and BeActive awards fundings in the field of sport. Further information on EACEA’s funding opportunities is available at https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/grants/how-get-grant_en

Mr Le Lostecque presented the final remarks and thanked the work of the organizers before officially closing the event, which allowed plenty of opportunities for participants to network during the breaks between the sessions. The presentations on the European and the priorities of the Swedish Presidency in sports, as well as on the preparation of ERASMUS+sport and Capacity Building applications are available at the official website of the event https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/events/info-session-erasmus-sport-2023-2023-01-30_en.