Alongside the Musicians' Union, we sat down with MEPs from the European Parliament's Culture and Education Committee to set out what post-Brexit touring is costing creatives and crews.
On 18 February, Carry On Touring and the Musicians' Union were invited to a roundtable discussion at Europe House in London — the European Parliament's office in the UK — with a visiting delegation from the European Parliament's Culture and Education Committee.
It was a rare chance to talk face to face with the MEPs who shape the EU's culture policy, and to make sure they heard directly from the people living with the consequences of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The reality on the road
We set out the difficulties UK creatives and the support crews behind them have faced touring the EU since Brexit — the 90-in-180-day limit, a patchwork of different work-permit rules from country to country, and the extra cost and paperwork that make many tours simply unviable, especially for young and emerging artists.
And we stressed that this isn't just a UK problem. Cultural exchange runs both ways: European artists, venues, festivals and audiences lose out too when touring between the UK and the EU becomes too difficult or expensive to attempt.
Building on years of work
The roundtable is the latest in a long run of sessions Carry On Touring has organised or joined to bring UK and EU Parliamentarians together with people from across the touring industry — from our UK–EU Summit in May 2021, with 43 contributions from artists, crew, unions, trade bodies and cross-party Parliamentarians, to our session with Parliamentarians in the House of Lords in 2022.
Momentum in Brussels
A month later, on 24 March, the Cultural Exchange Coalition was launched at the European Parliament in Brussels, with Carry On Touring ambassador and co-founder Peredur ap Gwynedd speaking on the panel. At the launch, Culture Minister Ian Murray pledged the UK Government's "full commitment" to delivering on the commitments made at the EU–UK Summit.
Commitments are welcome — but what touring professionals need now is action. That's why, in August, we wrote to the new Prime Minister with a practical plan to make it happen.
You can read more in NME's coverage of the roundtable and the Brussels launch.