UEFA president in high-level EU meetings

UEFA president Michel Platini met today with European Commission vice-president and competition commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, and László Andor, European commissioner responsible for employment, social affairs and social inclusion, in Brussels.

The visit to the European Commission headquarters was followed by a meeting with the Flemish minister for sport Philippe Muyters.

The introductory meetings with vice-president Almunia and commissioner Andor took place at an important time for European sport policy, as the publication of the European Commission communication on sport in the Lisbon Treaty is planned for later this year.

UEFA president Michel Platini said: "This is a crucial time for European sport and I was very pleased to be invited to Brussels today to discuss key issues affecting sport and football. I was especially happy to find so much common ground on financial fair play, the protection of minors and the specificity of sport. All the meetings were very productive and encouraging for excellent future cooperation in concrete terms. It was also nice to find fellow football fans at the European Commission!"

With commissioner Almunia, the discussions centred around financial fair play in particular, as well as media rights, and the importance of working together in a structured way on issues of common interest. Sport's social role was underlined in talks with commissioner Andor, who also stressed the value of training and protection of minors.

The meeting between Michel Platini and Flemish minister for sport Philippe Muyters, also attended by Royal Belgian Football Association (URBSFA-KBVB) president François De Keersmaecker, was scheduled to coincide with Belgium holding the rotating presidency of the EU.

The UEFA president thanked minister Muyters for the Belgian EU presidency's focus on issues related to sport. All parties agreed on the importance of a continuous dialogue between the EU institutions and the European sport federations.