EU plans to suspend or terminate Venice Biennale grant over Russian pavilion decision

The European Commission said Thursday it plans to suspend or terminate an ongoing €2 million ($2.3 million) grant to the Venice Biennale after the exhibition decided to allow the Russian pavilion to reopen.

Speaking at a midday briefing in Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier confirmed that an official letter had been sent to inform the Biennale of the move.

“Our intention is to suspend or terminate an ongoing grant of 2 million euro,” Regnier said, adding that the decision follows earlier political statements by senior EU officials, including European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

Regnier said the commission “strongly condemns” the Biennale’s decision to allow Russian artists to participate again in the exhibition.

He clarified that the measure concerns a single ongoing EU grant worth €2 million, covering a three-year period, which is now set to be either suspended or fully terminated.