The Jury of the International Classical Music Awards ICMA has noted that performing artists, ensembles and orchestras encounter more and more difficulties in getting visas. The Jury, comprising media from 15 countries, condemns severely the increasing problems with visas for performing artists and the unacceptable surge of labyrinthine and totally arbitrary bureaucracy leading to a worsening of artistic conditions for the artists as well as for the promotors of classical music.
At a time when culture and music should enrich the people’s lives and allow a better mutual understanding of nationalities and cultures, the increased problems for obtaining a visa makes this a serious impediment for cultural exchanges.
We invite governments and EU authorities to withdraw any artificial limitations in this matter, and to reconsider and ease travel conditions for artists. This has a greater impact in the weeks before the European elections of the end of May.
