Russia's participation in the 2026 edition of the Venice Biennale continues to cause friction between Italian institutions and Brussels, with deep disagreements within Giorgia Meloni's government.
In recent weeks, a group of MEPs called on the European Commission to take urgent measures against the reopening of the Russian pavilion, which has been closed since 2022. EU Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and EU Commissioner for Culture Glenn Micallef "strongly condemned" the decision of the Biennale management in a note published on 10 March.
