EU visa problems

International artists may find it more difficult to enter the UK because of lengthening visa processes elsewhere in the European Union. A Schengen visa covers 15 EU countries, and can act as a gateway to a UK visa. However, the Zimbabwean band Mokoomba has had to cancel its European tour because of problems in acquiring Schengen visas. Dag Franzén of Music Crossroads International, a youth music programme initiated by Jeunesses Musicales International in five East African countries, told AP that the young musicians had encountered “insurmountable visa hassles”. The tour was due to start in Spain, but the Spanish Embassy in Harare did not process the group’s Schengen visa in time. The Netherlands embassy refused a Schengen visa and referred the group to its immigration service, which takes 8–10 weeks to process a Netherlands-only visa. Franzén said that the group’s training and development had been supported with Swedish public funding, and commented, “all the beautiful talk of the EU intercultural dialogue year… is effectively cut down”.