The European Commission continues firmly taking the position against Russian participation in the Venice Biennale. Thank you!

The European Commission has initiated the procedure to freeze €2 million for the Venice Biennale in response to the reopening of the Russian pavilion.

"In our view, the fact that, in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the Biennale accepted the participation of Russian artists as a 'government delegation' <...> implies that the Biennale appears to have accepted indirect support from the Russian government in exchange for granting a cultural platform, in violation" of Article 5 of the 2014 sanctions regulation against Moscow, the letter said.

The EC has given Biennale 30 days to clarify its position. In the absence of a turnaround, it risks losing a grant of €2 million allocated until 2028.