The European Commission has officially recommended the withdrawal of a €2 million grant allocated for the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale for the 2026-2028 period. The Commission deemed the reasons given by the Venice Biennale for the reopening of the Russian Pavilion as inadequate. This marks a significant development in the ongoing situation regarding EU funding for the event.

Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's Executive Vice President, announced this decision via a post on the X platform. She stated that the recommendation has been formally forwarded to the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), which oversees the management of EU-funded cultural projects. Virkkunen emphasized that European cultural initiatives, funded by taxpayers, should promote and uphold democratic values, which she argued are not respected by the current Russian regime.

This recommendation follows a formal notification sent by EACEA to the Venice Biennale Foundation in late April, indicating the possibility of suspending or withdrawing the grant. The decision aligns with a political stance expressed by the EU Commission, which clarified that no funds had yet been disbursed to the Biennale, stating, "not even one euro has been paid out." The Venice Biennale was given a 30-day deadline to respond to the concerns raised about the reopening of the Russian Pavilion.

According to the Commission's assessment, the arguments presented by the Biennale were insufficient to address the objections raised. Consequently, Brussels has decided to formally recommend the EACEA withdraw the funding. However, the final decision on whether to revoke the grant rests with the EACEA, which manages the contracts related to EU cultural project funding.

In response, the Venice Biennale expressed surprise at learning of the Commission's political decision through the X platform rather than through the appropriate technical channels. The foundation stated that it has complied with all procedural requirements set by the EACEA and is awaiting formal technical explanations to evaluate any subsequent actions.

Even if the EU funding is withdrawn, the Biennale assured that the activities funded by this grant would continue as planned, noting that the grant represents only a small portion of the overall project funding.

This situation regarding the reopening of the Russian Pavilion has now entered a new phase, with the EACEA responsible for completing the administrative procedures related to the funding contract. The agency will assess the implementation of the withdrawal decision based on the guidance received from Brussels and the rebuttals provided by the Venice Biennale. Until a final resolution is made by the EACEA, the process remains formally open, and the foundation has indicated it will defend its interests through the appropriate channels.