The intervention raises the stakes in a dispute that has been building since the Biennale Foundation confirmed earlier this month that Russia would return for the first time since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The decision has already drawn condemnation from more than 20 European governments and prompted warnings from the European Commission that it could review — and potentially withdraw — funding for the event.
Now, MEPs are pushing for concrete measures.
They argue that EU funds — amounting to roughly €2 million over three years — should not “directly or indirectly” support a platform that could rehabilitate Russia’s international standing.
They also call for a sanctions compliance review of those involved in organizing the Russian pavilion, citing alleged links between its commissioner and Rostec, a Russian state-owned defense conglomerate, and urge targeted restrictive measures against anyone connected to the Kremlin or its war effort.
The Biennale has defended its decision by arguing that art should remain a space of dialogue, free from political exclusion.