More than 300 music, live performance and cultural organisations across the UK and EU have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and EU leaders calling on them to use a key summit to break the deadlock over touring the UK and European Union.
The Prime Minister will meet António Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in Brussels on Friday November 20 for the second UK-EU summit.
Ahead of the summit, SOLT & UK Theatre and representatives of the cultural and creative sectors have written an open letter to the leaders to stress the vital importance of cultural exchange as an intrinsic part of the UK-EU relationship.
The letter from the Cultural Exchange Coalition (CEC) calls for urgent progress in tearing down the barriers that continue to limit UK and EU touring.
Hannah Essex, Co-Chief Executive of Society of London Theatre (SOLT) & UK Theatre, said:
“International cultural exchange enriches audiences, strengthens creative collaboration and supports thousands of jobs across the theatre ecosystem. Yet too many producers, performers, technicians and creative teams continue to face barriers when working between the UK and Europe.
“The UK and EU share a long history of artistic collaboration, and both sides benefit when work, talent and ideas can move more freely. We urge Andy Burnham and EU leaders to make meaningful progress towards practical solutions that reduce unnecessary costs and administrative burdens, improve mobility for touring artists and companies and support deeper cultural cooperation.
“Theatre thrives on connection. A stronger framework for cultural exchange will help our sector continue to create world-class work, develop talent, reach new audiences and contribute to economic growth on both sides of the Channel.”
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