In a letter addressed to the president of the Venice Biennale, the European Commission has threatened to freeze €2 million to the cultural institution in response to the reopening of the Russian pavilion.
Russia's participation in the 2026 edition of the Venice Biennale continues to cause friction between Italian institutions and Brussels, with deep disagreements within Giorgia Meloni's government.
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In recent weeks, a group of MEPs called on the European Commission to take urgent measures against the reopening of the Russian pavilion, which has been closed since 2022. EU Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and EU Commissioner for Culture Glenn Micallef "strongly condemned" the decision of the Biennale management in a note published on 10 March.
As reported by Italian media, a letter sent on Friday by the Education and Culture Executive Agency (Eacea) to the president of the Biennale Pietrangelo Buttafuoco stated that the European Commission had initiated a procedure to freeze or revoke the funding allocated to the cultural institution.
The Commission has given 30 days to clarify its position. In the absence of a turnaround, the Biennale risks losing a grant of €2 million allocated until 2028.
Russian participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition, which is scheduled to open on 9 May, is considereda violation of sanctions linked to the invasion of Ukraine. The Kiev government and twenty-two other EU countries have already protested against the reopening.
The Italian Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, has also spoken out on the issue in recent days. Although he did not question the artistic sovereignty of the Biennale, he expressed his disapprovalby deserting the restoration of the Central Pavilion to visit Lviv, a city hit by Russian bombing.
Salvini and Stefani against the Commission
Vice-Premier Matteo Salvini, on the other hand, expressed firm opposition to the Brussels line, not opposing Russia's participation.
"In the last few hours I have been reading about the vulgar blackmail that is allegedly being carried out by the European bureaucracy against one of the most important and free cultural bodies in the world, the Venice Art Biennale: 'I will take away your funds because you dare invite Russian artists'. We are truly at madness," the League leader said during an event in Milan. "With what is happening in the world and in Iran, for Brussels to threaten Italian cultural institutions is truly embarrassing," he added.
The president of the Veneto region, Alberto Stefani, called the EU's position "unacceptable". According to Stefani, art must "foster moments of cultural confrontation that can become opportunities for building bridges, especially when official diplomacy struggles to find solutions."
Appealing to Italian MEPs, he added: "Peace is not built through censorship and freedom is not defended by restricting it. The Biennale is not a problem to be managed, but a space of confrontation to be defended."
Bonelli (Europa Verde) criticises the Commission: Double standards
Avs MEP Angelo Bonelli, on the other hand, pointed the finger at what he calls the hypocrisy of the European institutions, accusing them of using double standards with respect to ongoing conflicts.
"The European Commission raises its voice and threatens sanctions for Russia's presence, but is silent and does not set any conditions on Israel's participation, despite the genocide perpetrated in Gaza and the more than 70,000 dead," Bonelli said.
The Greens' spokesman recalled the letter signed on 17 March by 187 stakeholders calling for Israel's exclusion.
"A variable geometry policy is no longer acceptable. If it is believed that art can be an instrument of dialogue for peace, then let the Biennale decide in its autonomy; but if the Russians are excluded, then the Israelis must also be thrown out."
Kiev sanctions Russian artists involved in the Biennale
Parallel to the pressure from Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to sanction five Russian cultural personalities linked to the Venice pavilion, accused of "justifying aggression and spreading propaganda".
Among those sanctioned are Anastasia Karneeva, commissioner of the pavilion and daughter of the deputy director general of Rostec; Mikhail Shvydkoy, special representative for cultural cooperation, accused of wanting to use the Biennale to show that Russian culture is not isolated; Valeria Oliynyk and Artem Nikolaev, sanctioned for travelling to occupied Crimea; and Ilya Tatakov, accused of taking part in a propaganda film in the Donetsk Oblast.
The sanctions include economic restrictions, a ban on entry into Ukraine, and the cessation of cultural exchanges and scientific cooperation.
