The College of Commissioners has introduced a new EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy for the 2026–2030 period, positioning sport as a key tool in advancing equality. During the official announcement, Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib underscored the EU’s obligation to uphold the rights of individuals who “feel different” and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding freedom and equality across the Union.

The strategy is structured around three core pillars: Protect, Empower, and Engage. The Protect component aims to shield LGBTIQ individuals from violence and harmful practices. Empower focuses on embedding equality throughout all areas of life, reinforcing the role of national equality bodies. Meanwhile, Engage adopts a broader societal lens, leveraging EU initiatives such as Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps, and the upcoming AgoraEU (allocated €3.6 billion via the CERV programme) to promote inclusion. It also foresees the creation of a dedicated LGBTIQ Policy Forum.

In addition, the Commission will launch a new knowledge hub on online hate crime, linked to the implementation of the 2025 Code of Conduct on hate speech online.

Significantly, the strategy identifies sport as a powerful instrument to foster equality. The EU will continue to support inclusive initiatives like the #BeActive Awards and the European Week of Sport, while also highlighting the ongoing work of the Open Method of Coordination group on fighting hate speech in sport, aimed at ensuring safe and welcoming environments for everyone in sporting contexts.

For the past four years, ENGSO has worked extensively on the inclusion of LGBTQI+ people in grassroots sport under the leadership of the EWS committee and bringing the former EU LGBTQI Strategy (2020-2025) into practice. ENGSO’s most notable initiatives gathered under “Sport4CERV” include the launch of a communication campaign with personal stories, the publication of best practices and two studies on the experiences and participation of LGBTQI+ people in grassroots sport, one focusing specifically on women, as well as the organisation of several online seminars and workshops to build capacity of ENGSO members, network and staff on the topic. These activities were possible thanks to the support of the CERV Programme from the European Union.