Culture leaders urge UK–EU summit to break touring deadlock
More than 300 cultural organisations have called for practical measures to ease cross-border touring, warning that post-Brexit costs and paperwork are damaging livelihoods and cultural exchange.
Music and performing arts organisations across the UK and European Union are urging political leaders to use the forthcoming UK–EU summit to agree a pathway towards removing barriers to touring.
In an open letter, the Cultural Exchange Coalition (CEC) calls for a structured dialogue addressing the movement of performers, crews and essential equipment, alongside UK cooperation with European programmes such as Creative Europe, which supports international cultural partnerships.
The appeal comes ahead of the second UK–EU summit in Brussels on 20 November, when Prime Minister Andy Burnham will meet European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Established in December 2025, the coalition brings together organisations working across music, dance, theatre and visual arts. Its founding members include UK Music, the Musicians’ Union, Pearle\* – Live Performance Europe, PRS for Music, the Association of British Orchestras and the Independent Society of Musicians.
In a joint statement, UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl, Musicians’ Union Head of International Dave Webster and Pearle\* Director Anita Debaere said, ‘It is vital that the summit sets out a pathway to agree practical solutions to make it easier for everyone to tour the EU and UK by removing red tape and extra costs that are major barriers to our efforts to create jobs and growth.’
Percussionist and composer Dame Evelyn Glennie, among the musicians supporting the campaign, warned that the difficulties extend beyond artists’ incomes to audiences’ access to live performance.
‘Since Brexit, unnecessary barriers have made it increasingly difficult and costly for musicians, orchestras and touring professionals to share their work across borders,’ she said. ‘This not only affects artists and their livelihoods but also deprives audiences of the opportunity to experience new ideas and connect through live performance.’
Alt-J keyboardist and vocalist Gus Unger-Hamilton highlighted the implications for emerging musicians, describing affordable European touring as a vital part of his band’s early success. Without progress, he warned, new British artists would struggle to follow the same route.
The campaign follows research commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport estimating that reduced touring associated with EU exit resulted in £208 million in lost gross value added — a measure of economic contribution — and 2,490 full-time equivalent jobs in the UK between 2022 and 2024. Estimated losses across the EU countries covered by the study reached £1.04 billion and 17,010 full-time equivalent jobs.
The report found that smaller and mid-scale touring activity had been disproportionately affected, with immigration, customs, transport and other requirements combining to increase costs and uncertainty.
For Glennie, the summit offers an opportunity to recognise cultural exchange as an essential part of the relationship between the UK and Europe.
‘We must not allow political borders to become cultural barriers,’ she said.