Format:

Structured talk + moderated discussion

Session Description:

International touring has become increasingly complex for folk and world music artists operating across Nordic, EU, UK, and global markets. While short-term visa-free entry often exists, paid cultural activity remains fragmented across national work authorization systems.

This creates uncertainty, administrative burden, and disproportionate barriers for small and mid-scale artists.

This session introduces the International Cultural Mobility Waiver (ICMW), a proposed multilateral framework designed to create a standardized, visa-waiver-like authorization for short-term paid cultural activity. The session will explore how a shared rulebook based on clear scope definitions, risk-based eligibility tiers, presenter accountability, and explicit tax and labor compliance could reduce touring friction without weakening regulatory safeguards.

The discussion will situate ICMW within the Nordic context, examining how export offices,

cultural ministries, and sector organizations might collaborate to pilot mobility corridors. It

will also address practical realities: Schengen limits, UK touring constraints, tax withholding, and the administrative load faced by independent presenters.

The goal is not advocacy for a finalized instrument, but informed dialogue: what would a credible, balanced, and implementable mobility mechanism look like for Nordic folk and world music professionals?