Question reference: S5W-32729
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 22 October 2020
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Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 November 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support musicians in Scotland who will be required by the EU to pay for a visa to travel to EU countries after the UK leaves the EU.
Answer
The Scottish Government has consistently opposed the ending of free movement. We support free movement not only for economic reasons but also for the cultural and creative enrichment that it brings. Freedom of movement has allowed musicians to take their work to EU countries, and it is wrong that they and other creative and cultural professionals may have to go through bureaucratic and costly visa applications to work in the EU in the future.
As the UK Government enters the final stages of its negotiations with the EU, we continue to make the case for an extensive and generous mobility agreement that would allow musicians to continue to move freely between the UK and EU.
The Scottish Government is currently working closely with stakeholders and agencies in Scotland and across the UK to ensure that relevant information and advice will be available to musicians ahead of the end of the EU Exit transition period.