Venice Biennale: EU recommends withdrawal of €2 million grant for Russian pavilion

Milan, 11 July (LaPresse) – “The Commission officially recommends that the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) withdraw the €2 million grant earmarked for the Venice Biennale.” This is what Henna Virkkunen, Vice-President and Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty of the EU, wrote in a post on social media platform X. “This decision follows a thorough assessment of the responses provided by the Biennale to justify the reopening of the Russian pavilion,” she added, “culture in Europe – funded by taxpayers’ money – should promote and safeguard democratic values. These values are not respected in today’s Russia.”