The UK government must now respond to the petition and parliament must consider it for a debate.
On January 31st of last year, the UK officially left the European Union, and the EU trade agreement deal that finalized on December 24th,2020 only allows for a set of specific occupations to enter the EU without a visa. Now, since artists and musicians are not included in said lot, an open petition calling for Europe-wide visa-free travel permits for touring professionals and artists has amassed over 225,000 signatures.
Right now, when touring Europe, artists may be required to secure a different visa for each country they will perform in, and also apply for carnets (‘passports for goods’) should they be transporting gear. All of these permissions will represent a significant cost, making tours more expensive and harder to afford.
Started by Tim Brennan, the petition states: ‘We would like the UK Govt to negotiate a free cultural work permit that gives us visa-free travel throughout the 27 EU states for music touring professionals, bands, musicians, artists, TV and sports celebrities that tour the EU to perform shows and events & Carnet exception for touring equipment.
The UK has a huge music / event touring industry which has suffered immensely due to Covid. After the end of the transition period, we face further hardship when trying to tour the EU on a professional basis, with potentially each country asking for its own visa, which would be valid only for one trip. As a freelancer I and many like me travel through the EU countless times a year on different tours and events, this will become impossible due to cost and time if we do not have visa-free travel.’
You can sign the petition here.
