Cultural Exchange Coalition Seeks to Ease Post-Brexit Touring Hurdles

UK and European creative and cultural organizations have teamed with a group of artists to form the Cultural Exchange Coalition (CEC), with a view to removing post-Brexit barriers to touring, support cultural exchange, and drive growth.

Why it matters:

• The initiative stems from mounting concerns about the barriers facing creative organizations and performers touring Europe and the UK, and the impact they are having on culture, employment and growth.

• As per the CEC’s statement, arrangements put in place following the UK’s exit from the EU are failing artists, audiences and venues, as well as harming growth, damaging revenues and undermining cultural exchange.

• The CEC was formed in response to the UK-EU Summit 2025 to support and promote the shared benefits of cross-border cultural collaboration.

Who’s involved:

• Members include:

• Contemporary Visual Arts Network (CVAN)

• European Music Exporters Exchange (EMEE)

• European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA)

• Independent Society of Musicians (ISM)

• Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment (LIVE)

• Musicians’ Union

• One Dance UK

• Pearle\* Live Performance Group

• IMPALA

• Live Nation

• UK Music

• Artists include Dame Evelyn Glennie, Jools Holland OBE, and Level 42 bassist-vocalist Mark King.

• The CEC also includes more than 50 EU businesses from across the creative industries.

• The full list is here.

What they said:

• Level 42’s Mark King: “Having been a touring musician for the past 40 years with Level 42, and still actively on the road, I can attest firmly that the role that UK musicians play in contributing to the economy at home and abroad has become so much harder since leaving the European Union, a situation that desperately needs addressing.”

• Jools Holland OBE: “I welcome this Cultural Exchange Coalition of UK and EU organizations. The ability of musicians and the wider creative industries to easily be able to access the EU and the UK has been hampered by the UK's departure. I sincerely hope that changes can be made to make life easier for musicians in the future.”