To what extent is it true that, following the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, what sports’ specific nature entailed, remained contested?

The sport sector, in the 20th century, underwent a transition from being considered a private social activity in which the EU showed no interest, to being subject to frequent EU law application. And that, despite EU institutions possessing no legal base for sport from which to draw competence to deal with sport. Nonetheless, even without a legal base for sport, the EU intervened in sport on a regular basis. More so, it also considered sports’ specific nature in the process. Be that as it may, without a legal footing on sport, there was no guarantee as to how EU institutions dealt with and perceived sport/sports’ specific nature. Yet, the implementation of Lisbon and with it, sports’ express mention inside the Treaty was referred to as codification of pre-existing practice. This, to a certain extent, implied that the EU dealt with sport and its specific nature in a sufficient manner, even without a legal base for sport. Or, was the introduction of a Treaty article on sport with an explicit reference to sports’ specific nature, after all, designed to alter the interactions between the EU and the sport sector? This question served as incentive to further explore whether the sport article had an impact on the way in which the EU dealt with sport. The exploration comprised the chronological analysis of case law and European documents on sport through the lens of a conceptual, legal, political and financial dimension. Here, the intent was to outline how, from a historical perspective, the relationship between the EU and sport evolved. This comprised a comparative component in that the exploration was designed to show how, the EU dealt with sport before and after the introduction of Lisbon’s Treaty reference on sports’ specific nature. Showing how the EU dealt with sport before and after Lisbon subsequently determined the nature of the development in the relationship between the EU and the sport sector.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

MPhil thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Westminster

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Weiss, C.

Identifier

oai:westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk:x1v22

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk:x1v22