EUROPEAN UNION: EMPLOYMENT DRIVEN BY SPORT

The European Union has defined three basic pillars in order to enhance its growth and development: the economy, social policy and the environment. Economic growth and employment also represent two major targets of the Lisbon Strategy (designed to make Europe the most dynamic and competitive world region in the upcoming years). Governments of individual member states have not yet recognised the role the sport and leisure industry could play as major growth and employment drivers. It is very difficult to assess the impact of the sport and leisure industry on national economies, although several analyses have already been published. However, use of the gathered information in practice is in the very early stages. In this article, we describe several case studies showing how it is possible to increase employment by developing sport. Employment potential and employability as such have also become important factors in the design of a new recreology studies curricula (part of a comprehensive European Social Fund project).