The Musicians' Union has welcomed a joint statement made earlier this month by both the UK and the EU domestic advisory groups which called for the creation of a cultural visa waiver to help overcome the challenges British performers and crews now face when touring in the European Union.
Welcoming that statement, Dave Webster - the MU’s Head Of International - said yesterday: “The MU has been calling for this since the UK left the EU. Seeing this agreement between both parties in writing is a major step in the right direction”.
The domestic advisory groups were formed following the signing of the post-Brexit Trade And Cooperation Agreement between the UK and EU. They provide a forum where stakeholder groups impacted by Brexit can provide feedback to UK and EU ministers and officials on the implementation of the agreement and its various issues.
The music industry is represented on the UK domestic advisory group by UK Music and LIVE, both of which have the MU as a member.
For the music industry, of course, the biggest issue is that the trade agreement did not include a provision to ensure visa and bureaucracy-free touring for British artists and their teams post-Brexit. As a result, performers and crews face various new administrative tasks and costs whenever they tour the EU, some of which can make such activity unviable.
The domestic advisory groups met earlier this month and subsequently published a paper outlining what was discussed and their joint position on various issues.
That included the following statement: “A range of workers and professional service providers, including those in creative industries, should be allowed more flexible travel arrangements, including visa-free and longer stays than 90 in 180 days. A cultural visa waiver should be created for creative workers”.
The music industry has been increasingly calling for a general cultural visa waiver which would remove much of the bureaucracy that was created for touring artists by Brexit.
Also welcoming this month’s statement, UK Music Interim CEO Tom Kiehl said: “The domestic advisory group is an important mechanism for continued dialogue on cultural issues and it’s imperative that both the UK government and EU Commission take note and act to secure a better deal for our musicians and crew”.