Government has ‘failed to fix’ EU touring issues, industry warns

Industry voices campaigning for a solution to the post-Brexit touring crisis have accused the government of failing to fix the issue and misleading artists, after it made an announcement claiming to have confirmed visa-free touring for performers in most EU countries.

Leading figures in the push to resolve the costly permits and “mountain of red tape” facing UK cultural workers travelling to the EU have demanded that the government provide more clarity on the practical benefits of its announcement and how it will help artists, crews and productions.

They were responding to a statement from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which stated that “UK musicians and performers do not need visas or work permits for short-term tours” in 19 EU member states. DCMS said the announcement was the result of discussions it had carried out on the issue with every EU country.

Despite this, the chief executive of Featured Artists Coalition, David Martin, said the outcome was “nothing more than we already knew”.

In a statement to NME, he said: “It remains that the UK’s music industry is in a far less advantageous position now than it was before January 2021. Despite the spin, this statement represents an admission of failure. Failure to fulfil the promises made by the government about securing our industry’s future during negotiations, failure to ‘fix’ the issue, as per the prime minister’s statement of March this year, and failure to provide certainty around touring in almost a third of EU countries, eight months after the music industry was dealt a ‘no deal’ scenario.”

He said the government must “start by being honest” about the situation regarding EU touring by publishing country-specific information on the requirements for performers and crew in all EU countries.

MP and former shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman, who earlier this year proposed a 10-point plan to resolve the issue, tweeted that she was “looking into the detail” of the announcement, adding: “The issue is: is this actual practical change? If not, [it] is pointless.”

Calls for more clarity were echoed by UK Music chief Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, who told The Stage that while it was welcome that “progress is starting to be made on this issue and negotiations are happening at ministerial level”, guidance must be provided to offer artists and crews “a clear understanding of what the different rules are and what will be required from them”.

“For example, what is covered by ‘short term’?,” he asked.

DCMS’ announcement gave no detail about the time frame under which visa and permit-free working would be available, nor about the rules for non-performing individuals such as other creative team members and crew. It did not confirm whether progress had been made regarding rules on cabotage and carnets.

The Incorporated Society of Musicians said in a statement it would continue to campaign to change these rules, which cover the movement of equipment and have been criticised for restricting the viability of multi-date tours.

The ISM has written to culture secretary Oliver Dowden following DCMS’ announcement, and said government risks "misleading musicians and others who are preparing to travel to Europe for work" unless it urgently clarifies the meaning of ’short term’.

It said that in many of the countries listed by DCMS, the known exemption for artists is only several days or weeks, whereas when the EU grants short-stay visa-waivers to third countries it is commonly for 90 days out of 180.

"The ISM contend that the government’s announcement deliberately implies that musicians (and other creative professionals) will be permitted to work visa free in those 19 countries for the same length of time," it said.

The ISM said its letter to the secretary of state is intended to "dismantle" the reasons given by government for not pursuing a visa waiver agreement, which it argues is "an easy solution to a complex set of issues".

"The advice the ISM has received shows the refusal to negotiate a VWA is due to a lack of political will, rather than any practical or legal barriers," it said.

It is calling on government to confirm the exact details of what visa and permit-free work will be allowed in each of the 19 countries and set out a timetable to negotiate with key EU states to improve conditions.

Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming also hailed the news, describing it as an “overdue but welcome first step”.

However, he warned: “The announcement is necessary but not sufficient to get to where we need to be. Equity’s members will be reassured that the announcement proves progress can be made, but their union will not be satisfied until every EU country is covered, and we’ve achieved the same progress for on-screen work too.”

The government has said it would continue talks with the remaining eight EU countries, including Spain, to “align their arrangements with the UK’s generous rules, which allow touring performers and support staff to come to the UK for up to three months without a visa”.