Abstract

The European Court of Justice's Meca-Medina decision (2006) cast doubt on sport's unique features that distinguish it from normal economic activity. The White Paper on Sport appears to reinforce this view. One might argue, even, that the White Paper represents a step backwards vis-à-vis the Commission's Helsinki Report of 1999. This paper argues that the White Paper's conservative approach to specificity appears to reinforce a long-term trend: sports policies and rules are under attack just at the moment when growing commercial pressures mean they are more necessary than ever before. It examines the potential impact of the Meca-Medina decision and the White Paper, and explains why sports governing bodies are right to worry about its implications. In particular, it considers whether competition policy offers the most appropriate tools to regulate sport. Finally, the paper presents a brief analysis of how the White Paper relates to the new EU Reform Treaty, which includes a provision on sport for the first time in EU history. Verf.-Referat