Thank You – We Are Approaching 11,000 Signatures!

A huge thank you to everyone who has signed, shared and supported this campaign. We are now approaching 11,000 signatures! 

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Musical Chairs,  MIDJ (who supported it since the very beginning) and to Paolo Fresu, who has recently joined and publicly supported this campaign, pushing it much further!

What began as a daily struggle I experienced as a professional double bassist has gradually evolved into a European initiative advocating for the rights and mobility of musicians. On 23 February 2026, the first round table on "Air Transport of Musical Instruments" was held at the European Parliament, promoted by Members of the European Parliament Nicola Zingaretti and Matteo Ricci. This meeting was made possible by the visibility generated through this petition, alongside the outstanding work carried out for many years by organisations such as FIM (International Federation of Musicians) and PEARLE, whose long-standing advocacy laid the foundations for today's progress.

A further historic step was achieved on 1 July 2026, when the European Parliament approved the revised Regulation on passenger rights and air carrier liability. The new regulation acknowledges that musical instruments may have exceptional artistic, historical and financial value and, above all, recognises that they are the essential working tools of professional musicians.

However, our work has only just begun.

The next (perhaps most important) phase is ensuring that these principles become real practice. We need clear, consistent procedures adopted by airlines and airports,  while extending practical implementation to every transport category, including cabin baggage, extra-seat travel and transport in the aircraft hold, where significant uncertainty still exists regarding size limits, pricing and operating procedures.

The petition therefore remains an essential tool for demonstrating to the European institutions that this is not the concern of a small professional niche, but an issue affecting thousands of musicians and the future of cultural mobility across Europe. Now European institutions, professional organisations, airports, airlines and musicians are all working towards the same objective. In this process, the voices of artists make an enormous difference. Every musician who publicly supports this campaign helps make the issue more visible, more understandable and harder to ignore. Music exists because artists can travel, collaborate and share their work with audiences everywhere. Every signature, every share and every new supporter brings us one step closer to building a fairer system for the musicians of today and for future generations.

Thank you for believing in this campaign. More soon.

Valentina