Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry

The Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) is a Brussels-based European platform representing the interests of some 1,800 European sporting goods manufacturers before the European Institutions, other international sport federations and other associations.

Role

FESI

  • Provides opportunity for sporting goods companies to collaborate on non-commercial pre-competitive issues of common interest
  • Monitors all legislative initiatives relating to the sporting goods industry at a European level
  • Offers an established and recognized platform for the voice of the sporting goods industry to be heard in Brussels
  • Communicates with a variety of European stakeholders across a wide range of issues from trade and the supply chain, the environment to product safety and many more.

One of the main goals of FESI is to promote free trade between European Member States and, of course, to facilitate trade world-wide. FESI is a member of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI).

Structure

Members

Today FESI counts on the membership of some 1800 sporting goods manufacturers mainly represented through its affiliation system:

  • Regular Members
    • Industry Suppliers (IS): Companies which own and/or distribute at wholesale level quality brands of sporting goods in the European Union, which are established and significant and Companies which manufacture an established and significant line of quality sporting goods in the European Union and distribute these at wholesale level may apply for this membership category.
    • National Sports Industry Federations (NSIF): Membership for NSIFs May Be obtained by national governing bodies of any country in the European Union, which are duly constituted and recognized under the relevant national law.
  • Associated Members
    • Associated DIRECT Membership may be granted to an IS which directly subscribes to FESI in the case of no NSIF existing in the country where such an IS is established, or in the case of the relevant NSIF not belonging to FESI.
    • Associated INDIRECT Membership may be granted to an IS belonging to an NSIF, if such a body exists and is recognized by FESI in the European countries where the respective IS is established or has had at least a subsidiary or affiliate company, for a period of up to two years.
  • Sustaining Members: Membership may be granted by FESI, at the discretion of its Board, to recognized and reputed bodies, companies, institutions and the like, which organize and run sporting goods trade fairs and to other comparable bodies at the discretion of FESI's Board.

Committees

FESI has set up 10 Working Committees on various EU policies:

Trade & Customs

To defend its members interests in key international trade issues before the European Institutions.

To proactively engage in European policy formation.

To raise awareness of their members’ issues and campaigning for business-positive changes to the rules and practices of international trade.

Product Safety

To address and clarify all matters related to product safety and standardization issues.

To bring together technical experts from the sporting goods industry with the aim of finalizing position papers on relevant European policies related to normalization and technical requirements.

Intellectual Property Rights

To defend and preserve its members interests in all matters related to intellectual property rights and anti-counterfeiting EU policies.

To raise awareness of the seriousness of IPR crime and to press governments to act in defence of the intellectual property rights of both European business and European consumers.

Contact with Sports Federations

To successfully participate in the decision making process of sports governing bodies such as for instance UEFA regarding, inter alia, Kit regulations by focusing on a non-controversial collaboration and concerted solutions by both parties.

To build a broad consensus between FESI members over common objectives and coordinate a strong united industry position.

The working committee is also regularly liaising with additional stakeholders such as ECA (European Clubs Association); EPFL (European Professional Leagues of Football).

Ski

To conducts market sales research into the hereafter ski sector’s categories:

  • Skis
  • Ski bindings
  • Ski boots

so as to provide a comprehensive overview of the market and its periodic evolution as well as allowing each brand to determine their respective market shares position.

Ski Boots

To lobby at National, European and Japanese level for the reduction of Japanese import duties on European Ski Boots (27%)

To establish a European standards on the durability of Ski Boots and the respective components.

Statistical

To obtain a clear and better identification/definition of sports-related production, services and activities in all existing statistical classifications.

To provide members with market data on sporting goods production and sporting goods sales in the European economy.

To provide members with statistical data on national participation in popular local sports.

Research & Development

To steer and pilot the European Commission Research agenda with the clear objective to raise awareness of the sporting goods industry / sector and identify pre-competitive research topic for the industry.

To establish the basis of the Sports Research Technological platform called EPSI European Platform for Sport Innovation www.epsi.eu, which will foster and develop the research ideas for the entire sporting good industry.

Environmental

To address all EU related policies in the field of environment.

To influence and interact with all relevant stakeholders with the aim of defending the interest of the sporting goods industry. In collaboration with suppliers, national federation and special grouping to gather and collate additional intelligence at national level in order to understand possible discrepancies and diversions from EU legislation.

National Federations

The aim of this committee is to share best practices among the different federation and special grouping members and to address common concerns that can be better solved at the European level.

History

FESI was created in the early sixties with the aim of achieving free and fair trade in Europe while facilitating trade worldwide. In October 1994, FESI headquarters moved to Brussels, a strategic step which has allowed FESI to increase its lobbying and enhance its impact on European institutions.

In February 2002, during an Extraordinary General Assembly, FESI decided to allow sports manufacturers a direct voting right in its main decision bodies. Sports manufacturers can thus become FESI Regular Members in the same way as FESI National Federations.

In December 2002, following some months of consultation and negotiation, FESI and FEPI (Federation of the European Play Industry) signed a letter of intent which paved the way for a future collaboration between both organizations.