The second ECU Board meeting in 2017 took place in Riga/ Latvia on 21st and 22nd April, during the European Individual Women’s Chess Championship 2017. The Latvian Chess Federation hosted the meeting at Radisson Blu hotel under the excellent conditions. ECU is especially thankful to the Latvian Chess Federation for the successful organization of the European Women’s Championship 2017 and is committed for further cooperation with Latvia and the rest of the Baltic countries.
Main information and decisions:
- The Board unanimously approved the closing and the auditing for the year 2016. ECU President informed about new funds have secured for the organization though the Batumi 2018 Chess Olympiad development fund.
- The Board decided to update the ECU tournament regulations and propose amendments of the Statutes for the ECU Congress that will be held in Crete, in November 2017.
- A minimum appointment of 25% women arbiters in the European Championships will be applied with the ECU Tournament Regulations.
- The European Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2018 was awarded to the city of Skopje, FYR Macedonia.
- ECU Board decided to support CIS programs in Europe and approved new development projects in co-operation with National Chess Federations.
- ECU signed a Memorandum of understanding with the European Fair Play Movement.
Brief info about the European Fair Play Movement
Under the Patronage of the European Olympic Committee
The EFPM is a non-governmental association with its Headquarters in Vienna, Austria and with the General Secretary and Administration in Luxembourg. The EFPM promotes and develops Fair Play in sport, education and everyday life, primarily in Europe. The EFPM reflects a philosophy of life, abiding by universal ethical values, seeking to create, in the spirit of Fair Play and based on the educational value of good example through sport, a better world, pleasure found in sport with tolerance and respect for competitors. http://www.fairplayeur.com/
Joint Venture Items
The ECU and the EFPM herewith declare a joint venture in matters of sports, tolerance and fair play. This joint venture includes the following items:
- Try to establish and to coordinate common activities of fair play, tolerance, peace and understanding.
- Strive, step by step, to have a close cooperation by supporting the aims and goals of both organizations, for example with common activities, seminars and workshops on several topics of sports and fair play, etc.
- Enable each other to publish articles and information in their respective official publications, webpages and papers.
- Nominate a member of its Executive Committee as regular contact persons. The representatives will meet preferably at the General Assembly and/or Congresses of the two organizations with the possibility of short presentations about each organization and their annual work. The foreseen activities of the ECU and the EFPM will be discussed at the above-mentioned meetings.
- The EFPM will support the ECU to sensitize its members for the importance of the ethical values and fair play principles of sports.
- The ECU will help to promote the strengthening of fair play, tolerance, peace and understanding through and within sports.
- ECU signed an Agreement of Cooperation with ACES-EUROPE
Brief info for ACES EUROPE – European Capitals & Cities Sports Federation
ACES EUROPE works with the European Commission, and above all on the initiatives presented in the “White Paper on Sport”, thanks to the activation of the structured relationships with the most important European people practicing a sport, through the collaboration with the EU Members States and through the promotion of relations in the field of sport. The Commission itself will support the future development of the initiative related to the European Capitals of Sport, which is the subject of ACES’ activities. So the action point 50 of the White Paper recognizes ACES Europe, its activities and the award of European Capital of Sport. http://www.aceseurope.eu
Main scope of the cooperation
With this Protocol, the Parties commit to the diffusion of sports culture and sports practice in Europe (the interest of athletes, European citizens, local communities and the whole sports environment).
The Parties will be in charge – directly or through their national organizations – of all the necessary activities in order to:
- Promote the knowledge, the image and the practice of the sport of chess, with its cultural aspects, through the involvement of European Institutions and Municipalities.
- Develop the project and operational synergies with National and European Institutions, to spread and promote chess in schools as an investment in quality of life and citizens’ well-being.
- Ensure that the young are able to develop their activity in a free way, in suitable environments, where they are treated in a civilized manner by qualified persons, without sex, racial, cultural or religious discrimination.
- Promote chess discipline through the appointment and development of best practices to be spread throughout the whole of the European Union, in full synergy with the European Commission’s policy, that of the European Parliament and of the Regions Committee (CO.R.)
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