Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002867/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Erik Marquardt (Verts/ALE)
On 27 July 2025, Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, a declared supporter of Vladimir Putin and an internationally known cultural ambassador of the Kremlin, is scheduled to perform at the Un’Estate da RE festival in Caserta, Italy. According to publicly available information the event is co-financed by the EU Cohesion Fund[1].
Given Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, the systematic bombing of civilian infrastructure – most recently in Kyiv – and the extensive EU sanctions against supporters of the regime, it raises serious concerns about how such cultural funding aligns with the core values of the European Union.
- 1.How does the Commission justify the use of EU funds – including the Cohesion Fund – for an event featuring a prominent Kremlin-affiliated figure who has openly endorsed Putin’s regime and has yet to distance himself from its illegal war of aggression?
- 2.What safeguards (e.g. guidelines or mechanisms) exist to ensure EU funds do not indirectly contribute to the legitimisation of authoritarian regimes and their cultural representatives?
- 3.What consequences will the Commission draw from this case to ensure that future cultural funding is consistent with EU foreign policy objectives and core values – particularly its commitment to human rights and solidarity with Ukraine?
Submitted: 14.7.2025
- [1] https://backstageclassical.com/bomben-auf-kiew-und-gergiev-in-italien/.