ISCA President Mogens Kirkeby has joined a working group tasked with reviewing the current state of governance and autonomy in European sport and issuing recommendations for reform. Operating under the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), the group will explore new initiatives to strengthen accountability and uphold ethical standards.

The group was established following a resolution from EU Sports Ministers in October 2024 which called on EPAS to assess whether its existing recommendations on governance and autonomy should be reinforced or revised. The EPAS Working Group on the Autonomy of Sport and Good Governance is expected to deliver draft proposals by the end of 2025, with final recommendations due to be presented to ministers a year later.

Established in 2007, EPAS provides a platform for cooperation between public authorities in EU Member States and promotes dialogue between public bodies, sports federations, and NGOs.  

This appointment reflects ISCA’s growing commitment to advancing European sport governance and advocacy, particularly through a grassroots lens. In March 2025, ISCA launched the three-year Erasmus+ project  Real European Sport Model (RESM), which aims to develop a more inclusive and representative governance framework—one that moves beyond the traditional elite-focused model to better reflect the diverse ways people engage in physical activity across Europe.

“We can’t pre-empt the findings of the working group,” Kirkeby said. “However, we can say that its recommendations should reflect today’s realities at all levels of European sport in all its diversity.”

The announcement comes ahead of a key opportunity to promote dialogue and long-term cooperation: the MOVE Congress 2025, which takes place in Copenhagen during the Danish Presidency of the EU Council. In a statement published on LinkedIn, Kirkeby said that the importance of dialogue and partnerships will be a strong focus area of the MOVE Congress and emphasised the need for collective action to support peace, democratic values, and the well-being of citizens.

On October 29-31, the MOVE Congress will convene over 500 international leaders from civil society, public institutions and private organisations to drive progress in physical, social and mental health.

Read his LinkedIn Post here …and more details on EPAS here.