This was reported by Suspilne Culture, citing European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier.
“We have received a response from the Biennale. The next step will be for the Commission to assess it before deciding on any possible further action. This concerns the potential suspension or termination of the current grant support of €2 million. We will first assess this letter and then determine the next steps,” Regnier said.
The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) sent a letter to the Biennale organisers requesting additional information regarding Russia’s participation in this year’s exhibition. Authorities in Brussels suspect that the organisers may have breached EU sanctions against Moscow.
According to the Italian publication Il Fatto Quotidiano, the European Commission is specifically seeking “clarification regarding compliance with EU sanctions”.
This concerns a possible breach of two articles of the EU sanctions regulation:
- Article 5t, which prohibits the acceptance of “donations, economic benefits or support” from the Kremlin. The European Commission believes that Russia’s expenditure on participating in the Biennale could be regarded as the “indirect provision of economic support” to the exhibition itself;
- Article 5n, which prohibits the provision of certain services to the Russian government. Brussels stated that the Biennale may have provided Russia with services related to organising the pavilion’s activities, including legal advice, advertising, management and public relations services. Such actions are permitted only with special authorisation.
Earlier, the European Commission warned of the possibility of temporarily suspending or completely terminating €2 million in grant funding for the Venice Biennale. A corresponding letter was also sent to the Italian government.