[2021] Motion 34 Creative workers touring in the EU

carried motion
Carried motion

Received from:

The impact of the government’s hastily signed Brexit deal is now being felt across the creative sector, with musicians, actors and technicians facing major issues when looking to tour in EU countries.

The government has repeatedly said that the UK and EU positions on a touring deal were fundamentally incompatible and that waiving visas for musicians and other performers would have been ‘incompatible’ with the manifesto pledge to reclaim Britain’s borders.

Congress does not accept this and believes that most of the UK’s population would understand the need for frictionless travel for musicians and other creative workers, who are playing gigs abroad rather than contributing to immigration.

All musicians at every stage of their career must have access to the European market, in the way that they had pre-Brexit, to enable the £5.8bn music industry to lead the country out of the economic slump created by the pandemic.

Congress calls on the General Council to support its calls for the government to:

i. negotiate a visa waiver agreement for performers and crew with the EU

ii. establish bilateral agreements with EU countries regarding work permits

iii. work to remedy the issues caused by the change in cabotage rules.

Musicians’ Union