Carberry calls for EU funding for sports and physical activity

Fine Gael MEP Mina Carberry has called on the European Commission to earmark dedicated funding for sport and physical activity in the next EU Budget.

“Physical inactivity is costing Europe over €80 billion every year in avoidable healthcare costs linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. We need to view sports and physical activity as a front line prevention instrument for these diseases – and that requires adequate funding” Carberry said.

Currently, 45% of Europeans do not engage in any form of sport or physical activity, a trend Carberry says is a ticking time bomb for healthcare systems.

While welcoming the European Commission’s proposal to increase the overall ‘Erasmus+’ budget from €26 billion to €41 billion for 2028–2034, which includes funding for sports, Carberry stressed that more clarity is needed.

“So far, we only have a skeleton outline. We now need the Commission to flesh out how much of this will be ring-fenced for grassroots sport and local infrastructure. Dedicated sports funding must be a standalone priority in the final budget,” Carberry added.

Ahead of the Commission’s official EU Budget publication, Carberry joined her EPP party colleague Nikolina Brnjac, Croatia’s former Minister for Sports, in writing to Commission Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, urging the inclusion of a dedicated allocation for local sports infrastructure across the EU.