The Standing Committee of the European Convention on Spectator Violence has recently updated its recommendation - Rec (2015)1 - in a large number of areas: management of the terrorism risk, fight against racism and hate speech in sports venues, use of pyrotechnic devices, safety procedures, safety management in public spaces, policy on inclusion, support for people with disabilities and, more broadly, non-discrimination, international police co-operation, etc.

This recommendation is today undoubtedly the ideal tool for interpreting the articles of the new Council of Europe Convention on an Integrated Approach to Safety, Security and Service at Football Matches and Other Sports Events (Saint-Denis Convention). It complements the Convention by explaining how to implement it in great detail and by presenting established and recommended good practices.

Through its annexes, which elaborate on security, safety and service measures, each agency or stakeholder can assess the extent to which its national arrangements are in line with the good practices set out in the recommendation.

This recommendation was first adopted in 2015 as a synthesis of all the recommendations of the Standing Committee since it was established in 1985 in the framework of the European Convention on Spectator Violence. It has been revised in 2019 and newly adopted in 2020.