European institutions
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We have a long-term partnership with European institutions rooted in our joint commitment to protect and promote the principles of the European sports model.
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As well as being Europe's most popular sport, football is also one of its biggest success stories with the continent's clubs and national teams setting global standards, on- and off-the-field. European institutions recognise UEFA's role as guardians of the game responsible for:
- developing the game at all levels of the pyramid structure, from grassroots to elite football;
- safeguarding the balance between football’s economic and social role.
European sports model
We have partnership agreements with both the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe founded on the premise that European football is a common social good whose benefits reach far beyond the playing field. Both organisations support our efforts to safeguard the European sports model, whose principles and values form the foundation of football across the continent.
"Europe's core principle is solidarity. UEFA and the European Commission will ensure that UEFA's competitions remain a success story embedded in our European model of sport."
Policy-making
In 2017, we opened a representative office in Brussels, Belgium to facilitate closer collaboration between European policymakers and football experts on public policy and regulations related to sport. For example, we consulted with the EU to guide landmark reforms to football’s regulatory framework, including the establishment of new UEFA financial sustainability regulations.
Partnership agreements
UEFA-European Commission Arrangement for Cooperation
In October 2022, our president Aleksander Čeferin and European Commission (EC) vice-president Margaritis Schinas extended the EC-UEFA Arrangement for Cooperation to 2025.
The new agreement takes over a decade of formal collaboration between our two organisations to a new level, leveraging the visibility of our competitions and member associations’ network to raise awareness of EU priority issues, such as climate action, equality for all and social inclusion.By endorsing European football’s pyramid structure and its principle of open competition, the agreement also reiterates both signatories’ commitment to protecting and promoting the European Sport Model.
UEFA-Council of Europe Memorandum of Understanding
Since May 2018, we have had a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Council of Europe, which reinforces our collaboration on sport development and football's positive impact on society.Our work together focuses on shared priorities including the protection of human rights and the integrity of sports competitions, as well as the delivery of safe and secure European sports events.
EU funding programmes
In 2017, we set up an advisory service to help our member associations access EU co-funding for programmes that are often of interest to football governing bodies. Examples of such shared priority areas are good governance, social inclusion, volunteering and sports' integrity.
Today, several of European football's national associations have leading roles in two co-funded EU programmes:
- Erasmus+ : support for education, training, youth and sport in Europe
- LIFE: a funding mechanism for the environment and climate action
EU social dialogue
Since July 2008, we chair the social dialogue sectoral committee for professional football, set up by the EC's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion.
This brings together employees' (FIFPRO Europe) and employers' organisations (the European Club Association and European Leagues) to analyse labour relations, in particular, implementation of the minimum requirements for standard player contracts.