On the 5 February 2014, the European Parliament adopted the text reviewing community regulation 2027/97, certain provisions of which aim to facilitate the transport of musical instruments on board planes as hand luggage.
FIM is delighted that its long-haul work, led with the support of Pearle*, successively met with attentive attitudes on the part of the European Commission, the support of the Parliament’s Committee for Transport and Tourism and the backing of an overwhelming majority of MPs during the plenary session vote on the 5 February.
The 580 votes for the text (41 against, 48 abstentions) give it considerable legitimacy. Despite this, the work of explaining and persuading must, however, continue at Council level, where reservations have been expressed.
Organisations representing professional musicians in EU Member States are called on to mobilize as of now and contact their respective governments, for these to express firm support for the text adopted by the Parliament.