"If I get assigned to this position, I will be away from Estonian politics and leave the government," Pevkur told ERR. He added that the decision was made because the league's president carries a lot of job obligations.

Currently, Pevkur is the vice president of the CEV and is also a member of the International Volleyball Association's board.

The tenure of the president of the CEV is four years and Pevkur said it is a paid position. He will continue as a member of the Reform Party and that it is possible that the new position will not force him to move away from Estonia. "However, there will be a lot of travelling," he said.

The proposal for applying for the position came from several sub-federations.

"I accepted this offer because I believe that European volleyball has a lot of unused potential, and despite the fact that we have made some progress, compared to other sports in Europe, we are still playing the role of the chasers and this can't continue. I believe that we can do so much more and better than we have done until now. Now is the best time to create a brighter future for European volleyball with new ambitions and new standards," he said.

Pevkur added that he wants to modernize the leading style of the European umbrella organization. "In a rapidly changing society, CEV needs to keep up with the times - to work transparently and to use all the opportunities that technology has to offer in order to develop the area. Only then will the CEV become an attractive partner to sponsors, governments, media and fans. Only this way can we raise the popularity of volleyball all around Europe," Pevkur added.

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