Activities of Emmanuel MAUREL related to 2020/2073(INL)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT with recommendations to the Commission on challenges of sports events organisers in the digital environment
Amendments (15)
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the development of the digital environment has made it easier for all fans to access sport events on all kinds of devices and has boosted the development of new online business models; whereas, at the same time, it has facilitated relationship of interdependence has developed between professional sports beyond major international sporting events and the digital environment, particularly as regards television rights; whereas the method of allocating television rights is based on auctions and helps to create a situation of inflation with extremely high break-even points; whereas this system and the break-even points it generates place the consumer in a situation of very high tariffs and fragmented supply that many Europeans are unwilling to accept or unable to afford; whereas, in this context, there is an increase in the illegal online transmission of sport broadcasts within and outside the Union;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas Union action in the field of sport takes into account its economic aspect, but also its human, educational, social, cultural and public health dimensions; whereas the risks linked to inflation in television rights undermine the whole ecosystem of amateur sport and give rise to legitimate mistrust on the part of the public, as illustrated by the recent LFP/Mediapro case in France; whereas opinion polls show that the high price of subscriptions, which is a consequence of inflation in the auctioning of television rights, is a deterrent for many viewers and thus deprives them of broadcasts; whereas in order for European sports policy to be coherent, the entire system that has been formed by sport and the digital environment needs to be taken into account so that action can be taken on the causes as well as the consequences;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas a purely technical legislative act will not protect the sports sector from the significant economic risks it faces; whereas the European Union must therefore combine the fight against criminal organisations with proposals capable of supporting the sector in an economic transition that is favourable to the sports ecosystem and the general public; whereas a stable sports ecosystem is characterised by the competitive intensity of the championship, by consumers following it, and by the benefits it creates for society and amateur sport;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas any legislative act relating to sport must help to reduce the crowding- out effect which professional football exerts on other sports, with repercussions in particular for amateur sports leagues; whereas the unparalleled media coverage of football should not wipe out the variety of sporting practices; whereas football's media revenue should therefore contribute to the development of other professional practices that are less accessible to the general public, amateur sport in all its forms, women’s sport and parasports;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas action should focus on the root cause ofon illegal content streams, namely should target illegal website enablers and not on individuals who unwillingly and unknowingly are involved in illegal streaming;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas sport events as such are not the subject matter of copyright protection under Union law, but the audiovisual recording and transmission of it is; whereas a sporting event cannot claim the same level of protection as a cultural work or product; whereas there is no harmonised protection in Union law for sport events’ organisers; whereas, however, specific protection for sport events’ organisers is provided in the legislation of some Member States;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Requests thatCalls on the Commission to take seriously the economic and social need to overhaul the model linking sport and the digital environment; calls on the Commission to submit without undue delay a report drawing clear conclusions backed with ambitious proposals for legislative acts, following the recommendations set out in the Annex hereto;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that tackling online piracy of sport events that are broadcast “live” and which economic value lies in the “live” broadcast is the maina major challenge thatfor sport events’ organisers face, which the European Union can help to resolve if the organisers make the necessary commitments to build a stable European sports ecosystem in line with social objectives;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Recommends, therefore, the establishment of a European body to supervise competition in sport, which would compensate for the shortcomings in the enforcement of the financial fair play rules and could harmonise the existing legal framework in order to combat the illegal streaming of content; suggests that the task of this technical unit should be to support the European sports ecosystem and the training of high-level sportsmen and women capable of entering the professional sports sector; takes the view that it should therefore reassess the case- law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and in particular the judgment of 15 December 1995 in Case C- 415/93, the strict enforcement of which goes against the Union’s sporting, social and economic interests and those of its sports policy;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for the harmonisation of anti-piracy mechanisms to be accompanied by harmonisation of the economic standards governing the sports ecosystem, particularly with regard to digital broadcasting; proposes, in this regard, that a reasonable ceiling be set for the auctioning of television rights; proposes that, in order to ensure the balance and cost-effectiveness of the measure, this ceiling should correspond to the thresholds acceptable to European consumers;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Considers that the profits made by operators as a result of EU action to crack down on illegal broadcasting should contribute to social cohesion objectives through sport; calls, therefore, for the European sports competition watchdog proposed in this report to be able to levy a 10% tax on the proceeds from the sale of digital broadcasting rights; suggests that this tax should be earmarked for the development of sport from the social, educational and cohesion point of view, in accordance with the Union’s objectives, by being allocated to the budgets of the Member States in relation to their primary competence, or to the Union in relation to its supporting competence in respect of sports policies;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – part 1 – paragraph 1 – indent 1 a (new)
Annex I – part 1 – paragraph 1 – indent 1 a (new)
- to extend the pre-emptive right of public channels, in respect of major international sports events, to sporting events the widest possible transmission of which can strengthen cohesion and the bond between the peoples of Europe;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – part 1 – paragraph 1 – indent 3 a (new)
Annex I – part 1 – paragraph 1 – indent 3 a (new)
- to establish a European agency for the supervision of competition in sport, which would be responsible for harmonising the application of the legal framework and consolidating the European sports ecosystem by ensuring that the growth of sport is in line with the pursuit of the Union's educational and social objectives;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – part 1 – paragraph 1 – indent 3 b (new)
Annex I – part 1 – paragraph 1 – indent 3 b (new)
- to introduce a 10% tax on the proceeds from the sale of digital broadcasting rights, the revenue from which could be earmarked for the development of sport from the social, educational and cohesion point of view, in accordance with the Union’s objectives, by being allocated to the budgets of the Member States in relation to their primary competence, or to the Union in relation to its supporting competence in respect of sports policies;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Annex I – part 2 – paragraph 1 – indent 3
Annex I – part 2 – paragraph 1 – indent 3
- ensure that the measures to be taken by intermediaries are effective, justified, proportionate, adequate, taking into account the seriousness and the scale of the infringement; make sure, for example, that the blocking of access to, or removal of, illegal content does not require the blocking of an entire platform containing services that are legal, which would be disproportionate, unless the proportion of illegal services on a specific server demonstrates that the availability of legal services is only incidental; make sure that viewers can easily be redirected to a legal offering once the blocking measures have been notified;