Over the years we've become quite used to the idea that basketball regularly shoots itself in the foot, but, just as we seem to be getting our act together over the participation of a domestic basketball team in the 2012 Olympic Games, along comes someone from outside and holds the gun for us!

The Regional Commission of the European Union announced, last night, a programme of planned reforms which it intends will both strengthen the E.U. and enhance people's affiliation with their locality.

This idea of a "Europe of the Regions" has been around for many years, but the current proposals would seem to be the first practical move to try to make it a reality.

According to the official E.U. website (www.unioneuropeen.eu/regional) sport has been chosen to spearhead the campaign as it is "... the single most popular pastime which is shared by the populations of all the member states of Europe ..." and because it has "... a high potential for good - and for ill."

The recently appointed Commissioner for the Regions, Floda Schickelgruber, explains the thinking behind the proposals thus: "We believe that, while sport brings communities together, it also has the propensity to encourage a degree of Nationalism which is not only unhealthy but is contrary to everything which the European Union represents.

"We envisage sporting competition within the boundaries of Europe being based upon the Region, rather than upon an outdated and dangerous concept of the National State. As a result, our proposals, which are today being put to the European and national governing bodies of all sports, are that sporting competition within Europe should involve teams representing Regions rather than Nations.

"In many areas of Europe, there are already easily identifiable Regions, with which the population feel a deep affinity. For instance, in Spain there are the Basques and the Catalans, in France, Brittany is a clear example, and even in England an area such as Yorkshire has a clear identity. We wish to strengthen these identities, and develop others, within the overall framework of membership of the European Union."

What the commission proposes is quite simple - that by the completion of the current round of competitions, European Governing Bodies in all sports should have drawn up detailed proposals to enable Regions, rather than national teams, to enter Europe-wide events.

"We recognise that most sports have already made the draws for their next competitions" says Herr Schickelgruber, "and we would not wish to disrupt, for instance, the 2008 European Football Championships. However, we are determined that the following round of competitions should be based firmly upon the Regions within Europe.

"As for world wide competitions, such as the World Cup and Olympic Games, it will not be possible to move so quickly towards regional representation, and they will almost certainly remain based on nations for the foreseeable future. However, we hope that the lead which we, in Europe, can give to the rest of the world will encourage others to consider joining our drive onto the 21st century."

No official comment is expected from England Basketball until after the weekend, but Trevor Pountain, chairman and co-founder of Great Britain Basketball (set up to spearhead the drive for a Great Britain basketball team being accepted into the 2012 Olympic Games) is said to be "unimpressed".

We will have to await developments in this saga, but we cannot expect the next major moves to come before the first meeting between the  Regional Commission of the European Union and the various sports' governing bodies, scheduled for 1st April 2007.