One of the consequences for Brexit was that British musicians could no longer tour in the European Union without getting expensive visas. This is despite the fact the EU offered this to the UK – but negotiators bizarrely turned it down.
The only exception was the Republic of Ireland, and even this has its problems. According to a Guardian article, there are questions about whether a carnet, otherwise known as a goods passport, would be needed for musicians bringing instruments from Britain onto the island of Ireland. Even going via Northern Ireland might not negate checks.
Never fear, however – as the Johnson administration has your back on this. Oh yes. They’ve negotiated with a number of other countries to replace those deals. Although the list presented by the Culture Secretary does not exactly inspire confidence…
We’ve always taken an ambitious approach in negotiations on touring artists, including in my meeting with @AbidRaja last month.
— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) June 4, 2021
Delighted that our new trade deal with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein will allow musicians, performers and support crews to tour easily there. pic.twitter.com/oUSt6EPM4J
Good luck flying anything into Liechtenstein, by the way – the country has no airport…