Musicians Union welcomes visa-free EU tours. ISM is sceptical
NewsThere have been contrasting reponses to the UK Government’s announcement that musicians can now work in 19 EU states without requiring a visa.
The Musicians’ Union (MU) today gave a cautious welcome. Its statement reads: The MU acknowledges that the Government is working on these issues, however the list of nineteen countries does not include important territories like Spain, where UK musicians are having major issues with touring. In addition, the announcement makes no mention of crew, drivers, carnets, or fees for moving equipment. Therefore, without seeing more detail, the Union is unsure whether this represents new information or simply a statement of the current situation for musicians and performers.
Horace Trubridge, MU General Secretary, said: Whilst this progress is welcome, there is still a lot of work to be done.
The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) has written to the Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport, challenging him to clarify what is meant by ‘visa-free short-term touring’.
It says: It is common that when the EU grant short-stay visa-waivers to third countries, this is defined as 90 days in a period of 180 days. 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. The Government must urgently clarify what kinds of work, and what time period, are in fact permitted in each of the 19 countries – otherwise they risk seriously misleading musicians and others who are preparing to travel to Europe for work. Chief Exec Deborah Annetts said, ‘Touring musicians deserve better than misleading statements from government, when many have concerns for their future careers’.
The contralto Dame Sarah Connolly tweets:
Thank you @CommonsDCMS @DCMS @OliverDowden for working for us musicians. The change from 1 to 3 months for visiting artists from the EU is new? How long is short-term touring for UK artists visiting those 19 EU countries? Spain needs to join ASAP https://t.co/WMFsMjFQsf
— Dame Sarah Connolly (@spconnolly) August 4, 2021
Having welcomed the statement yesterday, it now appears that Dowden was economical with the facts, implying there was permit/visa free access to 19 EU members and omitting to point out the myriad of differing restrictions for each country and even regions within a country, as today’s article in The Independent makes clear. Look at the Belgian permitted access!
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-musicians-touring-oliver-dowden-b1897476.html?amp
Not only does cabotage require a UK tour vehicle such as an orchestra truck to return to the UK after making 2 EU stops, the requirements prevent band/group tour buses, carrying people and kit, altogether.
He continues to promulgate the story that the UK provides access when it was the UK that rejected the EU’s reciprocal arrangements for full 90 day permit free access.
For the record, this is the full MU response [published 5 August]:
“The MU cautiously welcomes the Government’s announcement – made on Wednesday 4 August – that visa-free short-term touring is allowed in 19 member states, but it does not solve many of the problems currently facing musicians touring in the EU.
“We are aware that the Government made an announcement yesterday on visa-free short-term touring being allowed in 19 member states.
“Without seeing more detail, it remains unclear as to whether this is as a result of recent negotiations or simply a clarification of measures that have been in place for some time.
“Whilst we welcome that the Government is working on these issues, firstly the list of 19 countries does not include important territories like Spain where we know that musicians are having major issues with touring. Secondly, the announcement makes no mention of crew, drivers, carnets or fees for moving equipment. Thirdly, there is not necessarily consistency between the 19 states, so some may require paperwork or limit the number of days of work.
“The MU has been pushing the Government to negotiate with member states to avoid the need for work permits and remove the barriers that currently exist around cabotage, customs and transport. There is therefore still a lot of work to be done, though it is encouraging that the Government refers to talks in progress with eight territories. The MU will follow up to see how these are progressing and how we can input.
“We are also working on further guidance for our members based on all the briefings we attend on Brexit issues.”
Not a comfortable situation. If I were part of a tour, I would want to hear it from the host country. Of course Dowden’s job is to distil and disseminate full and accurate information based upon what his EU sources are saying — and to make sure it is in writing, very official and reliable. And then the musicians can go back to worrying about transporting their instruments.
You’ve listed what Dowden should be doing, but his job is to obfuscate and misrepresent, as required of any of the Blukip government.
Assuming there is any work in any part of the EU for Brits other than stars and elite. Time to rethink the whole profession.
If after all this time we fall for the weapons grade BS this government spouts about brexit impacts, fall for the fiction they promote as ‘solutions’, fall for the gaslighting…
well, we’ve learnt nothing.
A mop haired lying pathogical loon is driving the UK bus over a cliff.
Support it and you’re complicit.
Well my little floppy haired Miko, pick yourself up, dust yourself down and grow up………..and do try to remember that the majority of those who turned out to vote did so with a resounding OUT!