The Governing Board and Consultative Committee of the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) held their 20th meeting and annual joint plenary on 27 and 28 May 2026 in Strasbourg, France .
The meeting opened with a strong youth dimension. A youth event was organised on 26 May at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg, followed by the participation of youth representatives in the joint session on the morning of 27 May. Discussions focused on strengthening the “youth perspective” in EPAS activities.
Delegates reviewed preparations for the 19th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport (Monaco, 3–4 November 2026) and validated key documents, including the updated Terms of Reference of the Working Group on the Autonomy of Sport and Good Governance and the European Sports Charter Support and Follow-up reports for Morocco and Greece.
Exchanges addressed the ongoing work on the draft Recommendation on the autonomy of sport and good governance, the selection of the theme for the 2027 EPAS Diversity Conference, inclusive sport (including women and girls’ participation and the protection of the human rights of transgender and intersex athletes), solidarity with Ukraine, artificial intelligence in sport policy, safe sport initiatives and co-operation with the European Union.
During its in camera meeting, the Consultative Committee held elections for its Bureau for a two-year term. Charlotte Girard Fabre (IFSO) was elected Chair and Patrik Perosa (IDO) Vice-Chair. Guido Battaglia (Centre for Sport and Human Rights), Marie Denitton (ENGSO), Annamarie Phelps (EOC) and James Ogilvie (UEFA) were elected as Bureau members. Marie Denitton was elected Gender Equality Rapporteur. The composition of the Bureau respects both gender balance and a balanced representation of categories of organisations within the Consultative Committee.
The plenary concluded with discussions on the implementation of the 2026–2027 EPAS Strategy, the 2027 Programme of Activities and updates on the European Sports Charter Support and Follow-up visits, including the forthcoming visit to Armenia.
