The European Commission has warned that it may suspend a €2 million funding package for the Venice Biennale if Russia is allowed to participate in the 2026 edition of the prestigious international art exhibition.
According to Reuters, the planned participation of Russia could constitute a potential breach of contract tied to EU financial support for the event.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Régnier criticized the decision by the La Biennale di Venezia Foundation to allow Russia’s presence at the seven-month contemporary art exhibition.
“Culture in Europe should promote and protect democratic values,” Régnier said, adding that these values are not respected in today’s Russia.
He explained that the Commission’s financial contribution — a €2 million project supporting film producers within the festival — could be halted if contractual obligations are violated.
“If there is a breach of contract, as with any grant agreement, the Commission will suspend or terminate the contract,” Régnier stated.
The warning follows a statement issued earlier this week by the European Commission urging EU member states to avoid providing platforms to individuals who have actively supported or justified the Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine. The Commission also signaled that further action could be taken against the Biennale organizers, including suspending or terminating EU funding.
The announcement that Russia could participate in the 2026 Venice Biennale triggered immediate backlash from the governments of Ukraine and 21 other European countries.
In a joint letter addressed to Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, European culture ministers argued that granting Russia a prestigious international cultural platform would send a “deeply troubling signal” and urged organizers to reconsider the decision.
Russia has never been officially banned from the Venice Biennale. However, it chose not to open its pavilion at the 2024 edition of the event. Earlier, in 2022, Russia’s participation collapsed after artists contracted for the national pavilion withdrew in protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Biennale Foundation has emphasized that it does not decide which countries participate, noting that national pavilions are owned and managed by the countries themselves.
This claim has been challenged by Russian opposition groups, including the feminist art collective Pussy Riot, which argued that allowing Russia to participate would effectively represent a political decision by Italy.
“The Russian pavilion is not an embassy; it is not sovereign territory and has no diplomatic status,” the group wrote on Instagram. “That means the Italian government, the authorities of Venice, and the Biennale itself can say ‘no’ to Russia if they choose.”
