National esports organisations from 12 countries have agreed to come together to form the European Esports Federation in 2019.
Discussions for the federation took place at the European Esports Meeting Berlin on April 10th, with the results of the meeting being recorded in “The Berlin Declaration” – a document that outlines their joint vision for the entire continent.
Hans Jagnow, President of eSport-Bund Deutschland discussed the federation in a statement: “We realized that we all shared an esports vision for Europe. To have this process actually started in Berlin and bringing so many nations together is an important step for structuring esports in the region. There are many details yet to decide, but this will be part of the ongoing negations. We stand united by the goal of establishing a European Esports Federation.”
Organisations from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Turkey, Russia, Sweden, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Belgium have all pledged their support for The Berlin Declaration and, subsequently, the federation. A follow-up meeting will be held at the Swiss Esports Federation on May 28th.
“In times like these, we feel that the idea of Europe is a fragile one,” Jagnow continued. “A commitment from esports is a strong sign: Europe is the future for many young people. Like no other sports movement esports profits from the freedoms the European Union provides. The Berlin Declaration puts an emphasis on that identity. Following up on the development of grassroots esports on the national level, coming together as a European federation is the next big step. As ESBD, we want Europe to become the model region for structuring esports on an international level.”
Esports Insider says: If the European Esports Federation does indeed see the organisations within the federation govern its own competitions and internal structures then is it really a federation at all? We sincerely hope the intentions behind this are to help the industry grow, not to control exactly what happens within Europe when it comes to esports.