On the occasion of the 18th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport, ministers from all over Europe and beyond came together to discuss the future of sport. The need for more collaborative governing and good governance in sport was at the centre of the debates.

Organised by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) in co-operation with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ), the Conference was opened by Pedro Duarte, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs responsible for Sport of Portugal, Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe and Linda Hofstad Helleland, Chairperson of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

“It is an honour for Portugal and for this Government to welcome the 18th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sports. We are committed to creating strategies through Sport that allow us to have more active, more inclusive and more respectful societies. This event will allow the development of strategies for a more transparent, ethical and effective sports governance. Together we can build a better society,” said Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pedro Duarte.

“All of us here share a belief in the benefit that sports bring to us, to our wellbeing, and to our communities. They also bring closer bonds and a unity that comes through teamwork and a shared passion. And sports and sports governance are of course part of our wider democracy,” said Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge.

The Conference led to the adoption of a Resolution which underlines the need to match the societal importance of sport by supporting a fresh approach to collaborative governing and good governance in sport, and the ministers’ commitment to implement this approach.

The next Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport will be hosted by the Principality of Monaco in 2026.