The European Union has announced emergency funding to support Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) after the Trump administration halted U.S. government funding for th media outlet, as per Al Jazeera.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed that the EU will allocate €5.5 million ($6.2 million) in short-term funding to help sustain the broadcaster’s operations.
“This is short-term emergency funding designed as a safety net for independent journalism,” Kallas said, emphasizing the outlet’s importance to press freedom in regions bordering the EU.
President Donald Trump’s administration cut funding for RFE/RL and other U.S.-backed media outlets in March, including Voice of America, citing the need to reduce government spending. The White House later doubled down, suspending federal subsidies for PBS and NPR, with Trump accusing the outlets of disseminating “left-wing propaganda.”
Critics say the cuts are politically motivated and part of a broader effort to curb independent media that challenge the administration’s narrative.
In a bid to secure its future, RFE/RL’s lawyers obtained a U.S. federal court order last month demanding the release of $12 million previously approved by Congress. However, that funding has yet to be disbursed. Without it, RFE/RL says it will be forced to cease operations as early as June.
While the new EU funding will not cover RFE/RL’s global operations, Kallas said the bloc will prioritize support for broadcasting efforts in countries within the EU’s neighborhood—particularly in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Western Balkans.
“Our focus should really be to help Radio Free Europe to function in those countries that are very much dependent on news coming from outside,” Kallas noted.
She added that the EU hopes its 27 member states will consider providing additional long-term funding, especially as Washington scales back foreign aid and support for democratic institutions abroad.
Founded during the Cold War, RFE/RL has a long history of broadcasting to nations under authoritarian rule. Originally funded by the CIA and later through U.S. congressional appropriations, it began broadcasting in 1950 to Eastern Europe and later expanded into the Soviet Union via Radio Liberty.
Today, the organization operates in 27 languages across 23 countries, with more than 1,700 staff working from its corporate headquarters in Washington, DC and its editorial base in Prague, Czech Republic.
