Ljubljana, 25. – 27.1.2012 Governance in sport is a hot topic, whether we are working at the national or community level, everything from setting strategic plans to managing boards needs to be done. Good Goverance in Grassroots Sport (GGGS) project is a transnational project that increases organizational capacity for good governance by focusing on transparency and accountability, particularly at the grassroots sport association level.Project officially started on 1st December 2011 and will end on 31st March 2013.  21 project partners from 13 different countries will come  together for the first time in the project period in Ljubljana on 25th of January for a Kick off meeting.  Meeting in Ljubljana will officially launch GGGS project. Project partners will discuss the project’s vision and objectives. They will build the project together, develop the project plan and share the knowledge and experiences on »Relations to Public Authorities », »Financial management«,  »Competences of board members« and  »Accountability and Transparency of sport associations«.

On the eve of the launch of the European Year on Active Ageing and solidarity between Generations, the EY2012 Coalition presents its joint Manifesto and Road Map and urges all relevant actors at local, national and European level to seize the momentum of the European Year 2012 to commit to creating an age-friendly European Union that will allow everyone to live, learn, work and age with dignity.  “The EY2012 for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations is starting in a very difficult economic context,”states Anne-Sophie Parent, Secretary-General of AGE Platform Europe.  “This unprecedented crisis makes it more urgent than ever to fundamentally review the way our society functions and to do our utmost to empower everyone, young and old, to contribute actively in the labour market and in their communities and to live independently for as long as possible”. Supporting Ms Parent’s statement, the results of the recent Eurobarometer survey on Active Ageing reveal that most EU citizens acknowledge the important role played by people aged 55+ in key areas of society, recognizing that many of them wish to remain active as they age. Austerity measures hit the most vulnerable in our society and many women above 50 suffer a double form of discrimination, in particular in access to employment, lifelong learning and equality of income and pensions. “Although they represent a fast growing percentage of the population, many older women are likely to be severely affected by austerity measures and pension reforms due to their career breaks linked to their family and caring responsibilities" stressed Louise Richardson, AGE Vice-President. The EY2012 Coalition (*) therefore urges decision-makers to tackle the gender dimension of demographic ageing, which is often underestimated. The rise in life expectancy can offer many opportunities and can help address today’s societal challenges. However this is only true if we create the appropriate environment to support active and healthy ageing and greater solidarity and cooperation between generations.

sportanddev asked ISCA and Sport & Citizenship about their perspectives on good governance in grassroots sport. In an exclusive interview sportanddev talks to ISCA's Secretary General, Jacob Schouenborg, and Sport & Citizenship's Director, Julian Jappert to find out more.  sportanddev asks ISCA and one of their partners - Sport & Citizenship - about good governance in grassroots sport. The two organisations have just entered a partnership to investigate this issue, along with a number of other actors. Find out more about the Good Governance in Grassroots Sport partnership >>>. sportanddev talks to ISCA's Secretary General, Jacob Schouenborg, and Sport & Citizenship's Director, Julian Jappert, in an exclusive interview on the topic of 'good governance in grassroots sport'. 

EU wide reductions of GHG (greenhouse gas emissions) are under scrutiny by many critics as the progress and actual results seem to fall short of the goals set by the EU this year. Recent reports affirm that the EU will not achieve the reduction of transport emissions by 60% between 1990 and 2050 through technology alone. An interesting take on the subject is revealed by a recent study authored by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), which has quantified emissions savings of cycling compared with other modes of transport. Even taking into account the production, maintenance and fuel [food] related to bicycle use, emissions from cycling were over 10 times lower than those stemming from the passenger car. Comparing cars, buses, electric assisted bicycles and normal bicycles, ECF investigated how cycling could help the EU achieve its 2050 GHG reduction targets for Transport. According to the study, if EU citizens were to cycle as much as the Danes in 2000, (an average of 2.6km a day), it would help the EU meet more than a quarter of the targeted emission reductions for the transport sector.