00:01Russia's participation in a 2026 edition of the Venice Biennale continues to cause friction between Italian institutions and Brussels, with
00:11deep disagreements within Giorgia Meloni's government.
00:14Italian media have reported that, in response to the planned reopening of the Russian pavilion at the event, the European
00:22Commission has initiated a procedure to freeze or revoke funding to the Biennale.
00:27A group of MEPs had earlier called on the European Commission to take urgent measures against the reopening of the
00:33Russian pavilion, which has been closed since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
00:39The Commission strongly condemned the decision of the Biennale management in a note published last month.
00:45The Commission has given 30 days to clarify its position.
00:49In the absence of a turnaround, the Biennale risks losing a grant of 2 million euros allocated until 2028.
00:57Russian participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition, which is scheduled to open on May 9th, is considered a violation
01:06of sanctions linked to the invasion of Ukraine.
01:09The Kiev government and 22 other EU countries have already protested against the reopening.
Comments