The RLEF will be representing the sport at the EU Sport Forum for the seventh consecutive year next week when a two-man delegation heads to Malta. General Manager Danny Kazandjian and Central and Eastern Europe Director Jovan Vujosevic will attend the two-day summit in St Julian on 8-9th March.
The Forum, inaugurated in 2010 following the 2007 White Paper on Sport and organised by the Directorate General of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, gathers leading representatives from international and European sport federations, the Olympic movement, European and national sport umbrella organisations and other sport-related organisations to discuss European sport policy and the strengthening of the European dimension of sport.
“Our cooperation with the European Union and the Commission is very important because the EU is one of the biggest stakeholders in the development of the Rugby League European Federation and its members in the last five years,” said Vujosevic. “This is especially in the field of good governance in sport and education and, through our EU-assisted programmes, we have been able to increase the European identity of rugby league and the attitude towards collaboration between members.”
“We have gained new knowledge and improved our organisation but also achieved very good contacts, networking at the past EU Sports Forums,” he added.
The Forum has grown from approximately 250 delegates in Budapest in 2011, which was the first time the RLEF was represented, to 350 last year at The Hague, the Netherlands. In Malta, the RLEF delegation will participate in a signing ceremony with Commissioner Navracsics endorsing the pledge of Good Governance in European Sport.
The RLEF has been awarded a total of €870.000 split over four projects since 2011, with all activities supporting key EU themes of good governance and increasing participation through technical education and voluntering.
Vujosevic continued: “I hope that our cooperation with the European Union will continue in the future and help us in the further development of rugby league across Europe and in our member countries, particularly with a continuing emphasis on education, knowledge transfer and good governance. These are the areas that we need to continue excelling in and which will ensure a solid foundation for the sport and its culture to grow in Europe.”