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European Mobility Resources for Mobile Performers
Are you trying to organise an artistic project abroad, touring, or taking up a foreign engagement? Such opportunities can throw up a whole range of practical and administrative issues that can be extremely challenging. FIA is working in an ongoing way at international level to push for change in many of the areas where significant obstacles stand in the way of mobile performers, but there are also a range of online resources that can be extremely helpful and informative for individual artists confronted with problems that are hard to resolve. Here are some links that may offer helpful answers. These links primarily concern the European Union and will be most useful for artists from or coming to the EU, though they may also be of wider relevance in some cases.
European Citizens’ Action Service (ECAS) and Your Europe service:
This is a very useful port of call for someone confronted with a specific administrative problem (regarding issues like access to social and health services, pension calculation, tax problems etc.) as a clear and accurate answer is provided free of charge and is therefore of very practical help when trying to resolve a given problem.
Essentially, Your Europe Advice is an EU advice service, provided by legal experts from ECAS operating under contract with the European Commission. It consists of a team of about 60 lawyers who cover all 24 official EU languages and are familiar both with EU law and national laws in all EU countries. Your Europe Advice replies to questions from citizens or businesses on their personal EU rights. The experts respond to the questions within one week, free of charge and in the language chosen by the user. Enquiries can be submitted either via an online form or by phone (00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11). Every year the Your Europe Advice experts answer around 21.000 enquiries.
On The Move (OTM)
The OTM website is a very valuable resource for mobile artists internationally and covers a range of information from funding, to opportunities to collaborative tools for artists wishing to gain experience abroad. In particular, its recently published cultural mobility funding guides (29 countries covered) are a great resource: they can definitely be useful for artists, cultural professionals and organisations searching for funding for their mobility:
http://on-the-move.org/funding/europe/
National Mobility Resources:
Besides these European pages, there are a number of nationally run and maintained pages and services. These national resources offer a mix of information on funding and opportunities in the countries concerned, as well as practical resources and information for cultural professionals coming to or moving from those countries:
Belgium: The Kunstenloket
Available in Dutch, French and English, this is an invaluable advice services for artists on all matters in Belgium, including in relation to mobility:
The Netherlands: Dutch Culture
Available in Dutch and English, this site gives an overview of mobility and residency opportunities, as well as advice on how to approach them:
http://www.dutchculture.nl/en/home
Germany: touring artists web portal
This is an information portal for artists working internationally, provides comprehensive information on visas/residence, transport/customs, taxes, social security, other insurances, and copyright. The portal's focus is on visual arts and performing arts.
http://www.touring-artists.info/home.html?&L=1
Finland: TINFO: Theatre Info Finland
This information resource is specific to the theatre scene in Finland and has a special section dedicated to mobility issues:
