Christopher BarrettCulture Minister Ian Murray has promised the “full commitment” of the UK government to remove the barriers to touring the EU and UK.
The post-Brexit UK–EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement that came into force in 2021 failed to cover many aspects of cultural touring, leaving organisations such as LIVE, UK Music and the Musicians Union campaigning for an improved agreement between the UK and EU that would iron out issues around cabotage, carnets, visa and work permit charges.
Speaking at the inaugural event of the Cultural Exchange Coalition (CEC) in Brussels yesterday (March 24), Murray said there was “very much a will to try and find a way through this” and to tear down obstacles to touring.
Launched in December, the CEC is a coalition of more than 150 organisations from across the cultural and creative sector including music, visual arts and theatre. It was created to promote the shared benefits of cross-border cultural collaboration.
Murray warned that without action on touring there was a risk it would not be possible to nurture the artists of the future to follow in the footsteps of global UK stars like Adele and Dua Lipa. He said, “There is a real political will both from the UK side and from the EU side to try and find some solutions to this because we have heard this is not just a UK issue, this is a European-wide issue. There’s very much a will to try and find a way through this – and to do it as quickly as we possibly can.
“There’s a full commitment from our side in terms of the UK government to fulfil the commitment in the EU and UK Summit to fulfil the aspirations of the Cultural Compass and to make sure we can have all our artists – whether it be UK artists in Europe or European artists in the UK – as seamless as possible.
UK Music CEO Tom Kiehl said, “From the Eurovision Song Contest to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, there is a rich tradition of creative collaboration between the UK and across the EU.
“This has boosted local economies, increased tourism, supported supply chains, as well as enabled the cultural sectors from across the continent of Europe to mentor, train, access talent and benefit from knowledge exchange. The result has been to collectively scale up and strengthen our shared competitiveness, soft power and global influence.
“While the UK may have left the EU it is still very much part of Europe, yet the current deal is not the best that we can do.”