Happening approximately two and a half years after the election congress in 2021, the focus of the 2023 edition is on statutes-related motions which are set to further define the organisation and legal framework within which the EHF will operate over the coming years.
Several motions have been submitted by the European Handball Federation itself; partly they became necessary because of changes in the Austrian association and taxation laws which have made amendments to the Statutes mandatory.
The motions submitted include, among others, the explicit inclusion of the ‘Pyramid System of Sports Strcutures’ in the EHF Statutes (motion 4).
The idea of the pyramid system is to secure a continuous line of regulations and responsibilities within a sport from the top to the bottom. It secures competitions on a respective level are carried out by a single source and the system together with the respective regulations and guidelines are in use by all levels of the sport.
Furthermore, motion 6 proposes to amend the EHF Statutes by including specified ethical standards and the principle of good governance. This includes that also the principle of sustainable acting shall be anchored in the Statutes.
Specific mention shall be given to the ‘spirit of piece and understanding’. Motion 3 aims at adding this to the relative points in the Statutes.
Alternate refereeing structure
Motion 9 proposes to amend the EHF Statutes by deleting the position of the member refereeing from the EHF Competitions Commission and to put the entire area of refereeing on a professional level.
This motion submitted by the EHF, follows up on a motion presented by the Hungarian Handball Federation at the EHF Congress 2021 aimed at optimising the infrastructure and the handling in the area of refereeing.
In the follow-up to the 2021 motion a task force was nominated by the EHF Executive Committee to draft a proposal for a future refereeing structure.
The foreseen structure takes the recommendation of the task force into consideration and furthermore continues the process of professionalisation in the field of refereeing.
Economic prerequisites for participating in the EHF Champions League
The Norwegian Handball Federation has submitted a motion (no. 15) which moves to create equal financial conditions for men’s and women’s club competitions.
The motion’s aim is to reduce the gap between the male and the female competitions at the economic level and to ensure equality and a parallel development of men and women in the European club competitions.
A sustainable future of handball
Following the motions, the Member Federations will also receive a first insight into the EHF’s sustainability strategy.
Different priorities and action fields have been worked on with the support of external consultants over the past months.
A first roadmap will be presented aimed at leading the entire European handball ecosystem into a sustainable future over the coming years. The bold vision is to turn handball Europe’s most sustainable sport by 2027.
The congress also includes the reports by the EHF President and by the EHF Secretary General, the reports of the EHF’s Technical Commissions as well as a financial overview provided by Vice President Finances and an information on the 2023/24 budget.
Among the final items on the agenda are previews to the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 in Germany as well as the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland and an outlook to the EHF EUROs in 2026 and 2028 and their current status.
