Brussels, 5 May (LaPresse) – The European Commission has written a second letter to the Biennale Foundation regarding Russia’s participation in the exhibition in Venice. According to sources in Brussels, a new potential breach of the funding agreement has been identified, which would “strengthen the position” of the European Commission. The letter in question was sent last Friday, 1 May, and the deadline for a response is 30 days, a circumstance that does not allow for the suspension of funds before then. The underlying issue, it is explained, is still closely linked to Russia. The deadline for responding to the first letter, based on the clause in the grant agreement regarding beneficiaries’ compliance with European ethical values when receiving EU funds, is Sunday 10 May, the day after the exhibition’s opening. The EU’s objective is “just one”: that the Biennale revoke its decision to accept Russian artists. A separate letter had been sent to the Italian government, and the Italian government’s responses “will not influence our decision to suspend or revoke the funding” of €2 million for the three-year period 2025–2028. The letters, it is specified, ‘are in no way connected’. The Commission, it is reported, is focusing on the ‘symbolic gesture’ of allowing Moscow to participate: ‘Whether the pavilion is open or closed, whether the jury has been halved, it does not matter. The decision stands’.