In May 2006 the EU DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities has selected the MOBILE.HOME project of IETM, the Finnish Theatre Information Centre, Pearle*, Goethe-Institut (Brussels), Visiting Arts, www.on-the-move.org and associated partners and awarded them with the sum of 163.793,17 Euro for this mobility awareness raising project. The European Commission has named 2006 the European Year of Workers’ Mobility. The year aims to raise awareness and increase understanding of the benefits of both working abroad and in a new occupation. MOBILE. HOME is a year-long project and will look at successes and obstacles to the movement of arts and artists across European borders, as guaranteed by the European Union treaties. It will also look at the phenomenon of “mobility” from technical, philosophical and artistic perspectives. It aims to highlight good practice and to federate the public, private and social actors. The project focuses on performing arts and particularly at the younger generation. It aims to create a lasting, on-going platform for progressive dialogue and resolution to arts workers’ mobility in Europe. MOBILE.HOME will treat the subject of mobility through different strands: MOBILE. HOME HELPDESK The Mobile.Home Helpdesk set up by Pearle* (Performing Arts Employers Associations League Europe) and its project partners* offers effective and accessible information related to administrative, legal and social aspects of performing artists’ mobility in Europe. Performing arts companies and performing artists of the EU 25 are invited to put forward their questions related to mobility in the fields of social security, VAT, copyright, taxation, visa and work permits by sending them to mobile.home@vdponline.be. The Helpdesk will answer questions within 10 days. For more visit http://www.pearle.ws/mobilehome or any partner website*. The Helpdesk has been launched on June 16th and will receive questions up to 16th October 2006. An analysis of questions will be done within the framework of the Mobility Research. MOBILITY RESEARCH & RECOMMENDATION REPORT A lawyer is actively researching on the topic of mobility making approximately 100 face-to-face and telephone interviews with performing arts companies from over 20 European countries mainly stressing on the issues of taxation and social security but also asking about intellectual property rights and financial issues related to Culture2000 projects. He will make a report on the issues and themes raised and bring them together with the analysis of the main questions put forward to the Helpdesk. The lawyer will create a standard template comprising essential information (tax, employment, social info) necessary for arts workers moving from one EU country to another. A final recommendation report will be made for the European Commission and the Member States in the form of a strategic proposal. DIGITAL PORTRAITS Goethe-Institut (Brussels), Visiting Arts and Fondazione Fitzcarraldo will work on stories from artists who make their work and live in different EU countries. Young professionals seeking mobility but facing obstacles as well as successful mobility experiences will feature in these portraits. The digital stories will be online on the partners’ websites by October 2006. CROSS-SECTORIAL CONFERENCE All these strands are being brought together in a major cross-sectorial conference in Helsinki (9 – 12 November 2006), inviting arts organisations, employers, public administrations, networks and others to discuss and debate key topics, look at good practice models and propose practical solutions to existing obstacles. This conference is organized by the Finnish Theatre Information Centre in close cooperation with On The Move and IETM. It will coincide with the IETM annual meeting and include working groups, training sessions, presentations and information points. Registering is possible now on http://register.ietm.org. More specific information on the conference will be available as of September on www.ietm.org . We welcome you to use the Helpdesk, visit our websites and attend the conference! * Mobile Home Partners IETM aisbl (international network for contemporary performing arts): www.ietm.org Finnish Theatre Information Centre: www.teatteri.org Goethe-Institut (Brussels): www.goethe.de/bruessel Pearle*(Performing Arts Employers Associations League Europe): http://www.pearle.ws/ Visiting Arts (UK): www.visitingarts.org.uk On The Move aisbl: www.on-the-move.org Mobile Home Associated Partners Fondazione Fitzcarraldo: www.fitzcarraldo.it European Music Council: www.emc-imc.org European Culture Foundation: www.eurocult.org Trans-Europe-Halles: www.teh.net Relais-Culture-Europe: www.relais-culture-europe.org Centre Dramatico Aragon: www.centrodramaticoaragon.com ELIA: www.elia.ahk.nl EFAH: www.efah.org