EU-UK Summit: Visa Waiver Agreement

Baroness Keeley Excerpts

Thursday 8th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I add my thanks to all the contributions around this. In this context it is particularly important to recognise that it is not just musicians who are being affected by the situation in Europe; it is a very broad area. I personally have been in contact with opera singers who are struggling to take up short-term pieces of work in Europe, for example. Of course, our concern remains with young people and how they go out and make their mark on a wider stage. So, absolutely, this is a priority, and we should be heartened by the fact that Minister Bryant went over to Poland in February—the first Minister to do so—to build on the relationships, as so much of this is about relationships, making face-to-face contact and making sure that the important matters before us are kept on the agenda.

[Baroness Keeley (Lab)]

My Lords, a further issue for UK orchestras is the issue of withholding tax, incurred when they tour to countries such as Germany, Spain and Italy. In Germany, withholding tax is reclaimable, but it can take up to two years to be refunded. One London orchestra is awaiting a £250,000 refund from Germany, making a serious dent in its cash flow. Possible mitigation of this would be exemptions for cultural organisations or other measures to ease the administrative burden. Will discussions on this be held in the EU-UK summit on 19 May?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for raising this important issue. Of course, the UK Government recognise the financial and administrative challenges that withholding tax presents for UK artists touring in the EU. I can reassure the noble Baroness that we are carefully considering the most effective ways to help our touring artists to contribute to Europe’s rich cultural landscape, so that we can provide European audiences with a diverse offering and support UK-EU cultural collaboration. I can only repeat that I cannot be more specific about the 19 May summit—but it is a very important issue that she raises.