The Council conclusions of 22 November 2016 highlight sport diplomacy as a valuable tool for strengthening the European Union’s external relations and promoting its core values worldwide. Sport, with its universal language and wide appeal, is recognised as a means to foster dialogue, mutual understanding, peace, and social development across cultures and nations.

 

The document calls on Member States and the European Commission to raise awareness of sport’s diplomatic potential, integrate it into foreign and development policies, and cooperate with sport organisations, athletes, and civil society to promote European values such as respect, diversity, and integrity through international sport exchanges and events.

 

Finally, the conclusions invite the EU and its partners to collect evidence, share good practices, and support programmes that use sport for intercultural dialogue, education, and inclusion. By doing so, sport becomes not only a domestic policy area but also an effective instrument of public diplomacy and international cooperation.