by InTrieste
The European Commission has recommended withdrawing approximately €2 million in European Union funding from the Venice Biennale Foundation after the institution reopened the Russian national pavilion at the 2026 edition of the international art exhibition, despite repeated warnings from Brussels.
The recommendation, announced on July 11 by European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, concerns a grant allocated to the Biennale Foundation for the 2026–2028 period through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). While the recommendation is not yet legally binding, it is expected to be formally adopted by the agency in the coming weeks.
The dispute stems from the Biennale Foundation’s decision earlier this year to allow the Russian pavilion to return after it had remained closed since 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The decision was made under the leadership of Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, who argued that the pavilion’s reopening did not violate European Union sanctions against Russia. Although the pavilion was reportedly not opened to visitors, its reinstatement drew criticism from European institutions.
According to the Commission, officials exchanged several rounds of correspondence with the Biennale before and after the exhibition opened on May 9, seeking clarification and warning that maintaining the Russian pavilion could jeopardize European funding.
In announcing the recommendation, Virkkunen said that European cultural funding should support democratic values and noted that the current political situation in Russia was incompatible with those principles. The Commission’s position reflects broader European Union policy, reaffirmed by the European Council in June, that Russian participation in international cultural and sporting events should not resume until a just and lasting peace is achieved in Ukraine.
The Biennale Foundation responded by emphasizing procedural concerns rather than directly addressing the Commission’s position. In a statement, the Foundation said it learned of the recommendation through public statements on social media rather than through official communication from EACEA. It added that it had responded to all requests for clarification within the prescribed deadlines and would determine its next steps after receiving formal documentation from the agency.
The Foundation also noted that the programs affected by the proposed funding withdrawal receive only limited financial support from the European Union.
The controversy has exposed divisions within Italy’s governing coalition.
Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli had reportedly opposed reopening the Russian pavilion earlier this year, while members of the right-wing Lega party criticized the Commission’s recommendation.
Culture Undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni described the proposed funding cut as politically motivated, arguing that a technical funding decision should not be influenced by political considerations. Veneto regional president Luca Zaia similarly criticized the move, saying cultural institutions and artists should not become instruments of political disputes.
The issue has also drawn reactions across Italy’s political spectrum.
The opposition Five Star Movement condemned the Commission’s recommendation as interference in the Biennale’s independence, while the center-left Democratic Party supported Brussels’ position, arguing that European cultural institutions should not provide space for what it described as Russian state propaganda.
Although the financial amount under discussion represents a relatively small portion of the Biennale Foundation’s overall budget, the dispute has become a broader symbol of the tensions surrounding Europe’s cultural response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The European Commission’s recommendation now awaits formal action by EACEA. The Biennale Foundation has indicated that it intends to defend its position through the appropriate administrative channels once it receives the agency’s official decision.
