♚ ECU New Team Vote July 18 →
The Program · Ten Pillars

A program, costed and accountable.

Ten pillars across governance, finance, growth and inclusion. Each one specific. Each one funded. Each one public.

01
Free participation

Open the European Team Championship to every nation.

Unlike the Chess Olympiad, the ETCC places a heavy financial burden on member federations. For smaller or less affluent nations, the cost is prohibitive — weakening the field and excluding nations from their own continental championship.

Status quo

Teams pay their own hotel and start fees to compete in the ETCC.

ECU New Team

Hotel and all start fees covered for every participating team — the Olympiad model.

  • Levels the playing field between wealthy and less wealthy federations.
  • Increases participation and competitive depth in the ETCC.
  • Aligns ECU standards with FIDE's proven Olympiad model.
02
Top-tier European Championships

European Champion should mean something.

The European Individual, Team and Club Cup events deserve to sit among the most anticipated tournaments of the year. A fully realised European Championship — Carlsen, Giri, Keymer, Firouzja, Duda — would be one of the strongest fields in chess.

Status quo

Many top players skip European events.

ECU New Team

Extra funding for our flagship tournaments — and a serious effort to bring the world's best.

  • Europe already has the players to serve a continent of 700 million.
  • A real European Champion title attracts real outside sponsors.
  • Broadcast and audience opportunities, today, are huge — and untapped.
⚽ Look at football
World tier

FIFA World Cup

Once every four years. The pinnacle.

European tier — just as anticipated

UEFA Euros · Champions League

Every star plays. Billions watch. Sponsors compete.

→ European chess deserves the same: continental events that sit alongside the World Championship — not below it.
03
A major boost for small nations

Quadruple the budget. Abolish the salary.

Small nations — from Andorra to San Marino, Malta to Monaco — are the heart of European chess. Today's support is too small. We will quadruple it, without raising a single euro: by abolishing the €60,000-a-year presidential salary and redirecting it, in full, to small nations.

Current · 4-year term

€240,000 to the President · €80,000 net to small nations.

ECU New Team · 4-year term

€0 to the President · €320,000 to small nations.

  • Direct grants for small-nation participation in ECU events.
  • Development programs tailored to smaller federations.
  • Travel and accommodation subsidies for delegates at ECU meetings.
  • Youth and women's chess development initiatives in small nations.
04
Unlocking public & EU funding

EU funding — within reach for every federation.

Mid-sized federations have the ambition and the membership base — but rarely the grant-writing capacity to chase EU money alone. The ECU should carry that load for them. The EU offers a wide range of funding programmes relevant to chess and sport; today the ECU accesses just one: Erasmus+. A single successful grant can be worth more than years of internal budget negotiation.

Currently accessed
Erasmus+
Additional funds to pursue
Europe for Citizens European Solidarity Corps Creative Europe Horizon Europe COSME Cohesion Funds
  • An ECU-employed Funding Officer doing the heavy lifting — finding grants, writing applications and managing reporting on behalf of federations.
  • A shared pipeline mid-sized federations can plug into — co-applicant slots, ready-made project templates, applications live in Year 1.
  • Consortium-building with sports networks, universities and NGOs — so federations join applications they could never lead alone.
  • Transparent annual reporting — which applications were submitted, which were funded, and which federations benefited.
05
Investing in our Commissions

The backbone of our sport — funded properly.

Seven commissions — youth, women, trainers, arbiters, veterans, online chess and more — share a budget of just €80,000 per year. That averages €11,400 each. We will allocate €30,000 per commission, every year — €210,000 total. A 162% increase.

Current · 7 commissions

€80,000 per year · ~€11,400 per commission.

ECU New Team

€210,000 per year · €30,000 per commission.

  • Organise more tournaments, seminars and training events.
  • Fund travel and participation for representatives from all member federations.
  • Produce high-quality educational and promotional materials.
  • Develop concrete projects eligible for EU co-funding.
06
Term limits

No individual holds power indefinitely.

Democratic institutions need renewal. No individual, however capable, should hold executive power indefinitely. We will introduce a constitutional term limit of two four-year terms for the ECU President — eight years maximum. We will propose the amendment at the General Assembly in Bucharest and implement it from day one.

Current

No limit on presidential terms.

ECU New Team

Maximum two terms — eight years total.

  • Prevents entrenchment of power and ensures regular democratic renewal.
  • Encourages new talent and fresh perspectives in ECU leadership.
  • Brings ECU in line with best practice across European sporting federations.
07
Chess in schools

No single model works everywhere.

Today, the quality of chess teaching varies wildly between countries — and no single model works everywhere. ECU will bring together professionals to support each federation with methodology and practical implementation, tailored to its own education system and resources.

  • A better-funded Education Commission can set genuine standards.
  • Coaches focus on teaching, not reinventing the wheel.
  • Practical, flexible support — sized to each country's reality.
  • Secures the next generation of European world-class players.
08
Women in chess

A continent that led the world — should keep leading.

Women's chess is one of the clearest growth areas in European chess. Two concrete shifts can move the needle quickly: turning online players into over-the-board players, and connecting the women's chess community to STEM employers actively recruiting women.

01 · Online → Over-the-board

Hundreds of thousands of women play online but never enter a federation event. A dedicated programme — discounted entries, beginner-friendly women-only sections, club-pairing schemes — brings them into OTB tournaments.

02 · STEM partnerships

Formal partnerships with technology, engineering and finance employers recruiting women — event sponsorship in exchange for talent access, career fairs at major championships, mentorship pipelines.

  • Girls' chess programmes — a systematic effort to grow participation among girls, the clearest path to more future champions.
  • SafePlay Guidelines with clear reporting procedures, adopted by federations — Europe leading on safe and respectful conditions.
  • Direct support for the Women's Commission and women's tournaments.
09
Web & digitization

An ECU that is fit for the 21st century.

A complete overhaul of ECU's digital services. New tools and platforms, federations supported, and a first impression — for sponsors and players alike — that lives up to the chess we play.

  • Federations without resources to build their own tools deserve ECU's support.
  • Players deserve modern platforms and resources.
  • Sponsors look at the digital offering first — that first impression has to count.
10
Marketing & broadcasting

A virtuous circle — starting with a louder signal.

ECU delivers several top-tier events every year — but they don't get the attention they deserve. A real revamp of marketing and broadcasting will show our game in the best light.

Status quo

Audiences are relatively small. Sponsorship is hard to win.

ECU New Team

Professional standards, unified branding, strict broadcast quality.

  • The potential audience is huge — and currently mostly untapped.
  • Better marketing → better sponsors → better events. A virtuous circle.
Next

Where the money actually goes.

Every additional euro is sourced — not borrowed against future federations. See the full annual budget, line by line.

View the budget → Vote July 18