History of the CEP The CEP was founded late January 1999 in Strasbourg, France. The first European Championship of Juniors was played the year before (1998) in Dijon, France, and was therefore not an official championship. CEP-President Flemming Jensin about the CEP: In the middle of the 90th (1994-96) when Karsten Köhler was president for the German Petanque Federation and Flemming Jensin was president for the Danish Petanque Federation, they worked together in the International North Sea Petanque Tournament (INSPT). Karsten and Flemming talked about that it was a shame, that there only was WC for Ladies and Youngsters every two years. So they started an idea of creating a European Federation, so there could be an EC every two years for Ladies and Youngsters on the opposite years of the WC. In 1997 Jan Sjölander, Sweden and Flemming Jensin, Denmark started the Euro-Cup for clubteams, and in 1998 France invited to a kind of EC for Youngsters in Dijon. Karsten and Flemming could see that the French Petanque Federation would support something for Europe, and France was willing to be host for the foundation of the CEP in January 1999 in Strasbourg. The first official EC for Youngsters took place in Liège, Belgium in 2000, where we have had a big support from the Belgium Petanque Federation and President Roger Petermanns especially. After the first EC, the French Petanque Federation helped us again with the 1st. EC for Ladies in 2001 in Strasbourg. Ever since we have every year organized a EC for either Ladies or Youngsters, and the Euro-Cup have been played every year since the first final in 1998. At the EC for Ladies in 2005 in Denmark, the CEP-board asked the member federations, if they were interested in a "new" kind of tournament for young people (age 18-22) called the "Espoirs". The idea was to offer something for the players, who became 18 years old, and were to young, and not strong enough to go direct to the "open" national team. Also in hope of keeping them to the petanque sport. Every federation thought it was a very good idea, and that´s why the CEP started the Espoirs-competition for both women and men in 2007 with the first finals in France in april 2008. The next championships will be held in 2009, and then every two years. In 2009 the CEP created the "fixed dates" which means that the Euro-Cup will be played in groups in week 30. The 1/4 finals will be played in groups in week 40, and the semifinals and the finals will be played in week 48 every year. Every two years there will be "fixed dates" for the Espoirs as well. The qualification round will be in week 12 and the finals will be in week 42 in the same year. And in 2009 the 1st. EC for Men will be arranged in Nice, France. There have been 3 presidents for the CEP: Karsten Köhler, Germany, from 1999-2001 Gerard Schneider, Luxembourg, from 2001-2004 Flemming Jensin, Denmark, from 2004-