Published
Wed, Aug 4, 2021, 21:01
- The news comes after months of criticism on the UK government's failure to negotiate visa-free EU travel.
UK artists will now be permitted to tour 19 European Union states without a visa.
After months of the UK and the EU struggling to agree on work and travel restrictions across the EU member states, the UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport shared the news today.
UK musicians and performers will not require a visa to tour Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden for up to three months.
The UK government is "actively engaging with the remaining EU Member States," the DCMS announcement claims. "Formal approaches via officials and DCMS Ministers have been made to Spain, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta and Cyprus. We are also working with the sector to amplify each other’s lobbying efforts," the report continues.
"We recognize challenges remain around touring, and we are continuing to work closely with the industry. We want to ensure that when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, touring can resume and our world-leading creative and cultural artists can continue to travel widely, learning their craft, growing their audiences and showing the best of British creativity to the world."
Earlier this year, the UK faced backlash after failing to negotiate visa-free travel for UK artists in the Brexit deal. A widespread petition pressing for Europe-wide visa-free work permits for touring UK professionals was launched last year. In February, the topic was debated in Parliament, a discussion that resulted in another standstill.
Read the report in full here.