The Standing Committee

The Standing Committee is the body in charge of monitoring the application of the European Convention on Spectator Violence and Misbehaviour at Sports Events.

Missions
The main mission of the Standing Committee is to make sure the States parties respect the treaty. At major international tournaments – World Cup, European Championships – an ad hoc working group is set up within the Standing Committee to evaluate the security provisions and, after the event in question, to evaluate the lessons learnt from them.

Who is on the Standing Committee?
The Standing Committee is made up of one or more national delegates nominated by the governments of the States parties to the Convention. Each delegate remains in office until s/he or his/her government decides. At the meetings, the delegate can bring along one or more experts. The Committee elects a Chair and 2 Vice-Chairs for 2 years through a majority voting system. They may be re-elected once for a term of 2 years.

The observers are
Argentina, Canada, Tunisia; the European Commission; Holy See
Host country(ies) of the FIFA World Cup when held outside of Europe; the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) ; the European Union Football Association (UEFA).

How does it work?
The Standing Committee meets annually, in Strasbourg at the headquarters of the Council of Europe or in a host country before the opening of one of the above events. Each State party to the Convention holds one vote and decisions are taken by majority voting.