UK authorities said musicians and performers would have visa-free travel to a number of European countries.
According to the new decision, UK artists will not need work permits to perform in 19 countries.
Those countries are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.
Commenting on the decision, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said it is now “actively engaging with the remaining EU member states that do not allow visa and permit free touring, and calling on them to align their arrangements with the UK’s generous rules, which allow touring performers and support staff to come to the UK for up to three months without a visa.”
DCMS said in a statement: “We want the UK’s fantastic performers and other creative professionals to be able to tour abroad easily. We recognise challenges remain around travelling, 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.”
Let the Music Move
The move came after a months-long campaign launched by British musicians such as Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran on the issue of post-Brexit touring.
The Let the Music Move campaign stressed that the EU touring market for UK artists is the world’s biggest, nearly four times the size of the US.
Sir Elton John previously warned the rules threatened “a generation of talent”.
