The UK government will not pursue an enforcement scheme that would allow British musicians to tour the EU without the need for visas, carnets and work permits for each individual member state.
The news comes as more than 100 artists including Sting, Bob Geldof and Elton John have signed an open letter published in the Times on Wednesday, urging the government to travel without negotiate a paper for touring British musicians in Europe. The signatories say musicians have “shamefully failed” the government’s Brexit deal with the EU.
Speaking at parliamentary questions on Tuesday, digital and culture minister Caroline Dinenage said “the door is open” for future negotiations between the UK and the EU on travel – in which both sides of the blaming the other side for rejecting their suggestions – but that’s any solution that could be “not about getting rid of it but about helping”.
The Musicians’ Union (MU) has been lobbying for the creation of a “musician’s passport” lasting at least two years, with little or no cost, covering all EU member states, prohibiting any requirement for carnets or other permits, and covering road crews, technicians and other necessary personnel to make tours possible. The change.org petition supports the idea of reaching 113,500 signatures.
Dinenage ‘s comments indicate that the government is not pursuing the passport scheme despite reiterating that it is working in line with industry aspirations. A spokesman for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport declined requests for clarification.
Musicians Union deputy general secretary Naomi Pohl said: “We have always had cross-party support for some sort of release or special arrangement to tour musicians and crew in the EU after Brexit. It is very likely that the passport of the musicians we were lobbying will come at this stage but we still want to work with the UK government on an additional agreement that could work for him. our members and the team and the organizations they work with. ”
A DCMS spokesman said the government would look at working with EU member states to find ways to make life easier for those working in the creative industries in their countries.
At parliamentary questions, Dinenage upheld the government’s claim that the EU had rejected a “special treaty” that would allow musicians and supporters to easily tour the EU, which the EU has said was not appropriate for the EU. reasons. She said the EU had suggested that it would only cover “ad hoc” achievements, which it said did not help with tours, and did not include technical and support staff.
An EU official told the Guardian that the UK had rejected their standard proposal of 90 days of work in a 180-day period at the transfer discussion table. This proposal traditionally covers musicians, sports people and journalists but could be extended to include technical staff if the UK were willing to negotiating freedom of movement, the official said.
“Would we have a problem with it? Not necessary. We recommended our standard list [of exemptions]. If we had started conversations into it [mobility], that might have been different. But the UK refused to intervene in our talks at all. That’s the key point. ”
The UK had also misinterpreted the meaning of “ad hoc”, the official said. The term is standard terminology in his visa agreements, used to “differ from the situation of being permanently fixed somewhere”.
Under such an ad hoc arrangement, a British footballer was able to “play some games in the EU but could not come to play permanently for a club in the EU”, they said. Under their original proposal, they said it would be possible to hold tours as long as artists did not work more than 90 out of 180 days.
A DCMS spokesman told the Guardian that he stood by his statement that the EU offer would not have worked for touring musicians, but did not provide further details.
At parliamentary questions, Dinenage pledged the government’s commitment to providing “clarity” for British musicians wishing to tour the EU and make the case for working in football. individual states “so easy and simple”.
But staff from Britain’s world-leading touring infrastructure say they have been left in the dark over the complex logistics of touring the EU, which despite seeking clarification from the government about their business activities once coronavirus restrictions build up and resume cycles.
Christiaan Munro, director of British merchant company Sandbag, said he had recently asked HMRC about the logistics of moving goods from the UK to the EU when repeat rounds would be possible. “No one can tell me how much it will cost to import goods into France, saying ‘you have to call the country you are reporting to’, which is a bit difficult,” he said.
Prior to the Brexit trade agreement, artists would visit countries outside the EU Switzerland and Norway during a European tour paying advance sales tax to cover potential sales of all goods was carried, and recovered any difference after the fact. Whether this would now be for UK tours visiting all EU states, Munro said: “No one can tell us how it’s going to work. The commodity companies are still feeling the waters. It will not help that the agreement was made into law four days after it was approved so no one has an opinion. ”
Tarrant Anderson, director of touring transport company Vans for Bands, said transportation and truck companies and industry groups were still seeking clarity about the cabotage situation, which says departing carriers can the UK to make two trips within the EU in seven days. long before returning home, which would severely hamper travel and threaten the UK ‘s main role as a touring infrastructure provider.
“The potential impacts are huge,” Anderson said. “With everything so uncertain, we may be in a situation where live music can take place, this situation where the UK has been a major force in touring may stop. the EU. ”
Historically, Anderson said, international artists have “visited” the UK for EU tours thanks to the high quality of its transport, stage, lighting and sound work. If cabotage – the carriage of goods or passengers between two places in the same country by a transport operator from another country – remains in place, “it is likely that they will stop making and start importing through Germany or the France because it is much easier to start in those areas ”.
The result, he said, is that the major travel companies in Britain are either partnering with EU businesses or moving out of the UK altogether, a view he had considered.
Emma Edgar, Irish tour manager for bands including Hot Chip, Wolf Alice and Everything Everything, said there was no “clear direction” for days spent driving through several EU countries on the world. -way to a gig in another country counts against the current 30. – end of day for artists to work in the EU, limiting their ability to perform.
Many interviewees welcomed the coronavirus pandemic delaying the trade agreement becoming law and a reasonable resumption of cycles. “We hope that when we come back they will realize that it is not possible to work,” said Edgar.
“We don’t need clarity,” said Pohl the MU. “We need a contract. Even if we get clarity, it will still be a really bad night. ”
The opening letter was signed in the Times by Liam Gallagher, Joss Stone and Bryan May. Signatories included Roger Daltrey, a staunch supporter of Brexit, and Sir Simon Rattle, who announced this week that he had applied for German citizenship. It was coordinated by the Corporate Musicians Association (ISM).
He said: “The reality is that British musicians, dancers, actors and supporters have failed miserably with their government.
“The agreement reached with the EU is a big hole where the free movement should be promised to musicians. Everyone on a European music tour now needs expensive work permits for many of the countries they visit and a mountain of papers for their equipment. ”
On Tuesday the ISM announced the launch of a visa and work permit service in partnership with Viva La Visa.
ISM chief executive Deborah Annetts said: “We recognize the clear need for clear advice for our members working in the EU. International touring represents an essential part of the lifestyle of many musicians, with 44% of musicians earning up to half of their income in the EU before the pandemic. ”
Additional comment by Damien Gayle