Ten EU member states, including Poland, have backed a Czech initiative to finance Radio Free Europe (RFE) with EU funds after the Trump administration halted grants to the pro-democracy outlet. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič announced that the European Commission would analyse the situation to find ways to assist RFE.
On Tuesday, nine member states—Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Slovenia, and the Netherlands—signed a joint statement supporting RFE/RL, prepared by Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvorak. While Poland, which holds the EU Council presidency, could not sign the statement, it expressed support. Minister Adam Szłapka emphasised the importance of information security in Europe.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that significantly cut the operations and budget of the US Agency for Global Media, affecting both RFE and Voice of America (VOA). Broadcasts were suspended, and all VOA journalists were placed on forced leave. RFE and VOA, with a combined budget of $270 million, have been crucial sources of independent information since their inception in 1942 and 1950, respectively.
The Czech document highlighted RFE’s essential role in providing reliable information, particularly in areas with press freedoms under threat, and called for sustainable financial support for independent media. Minister Dvorak informed followers on Platform X that both the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and the Budget Commissioner expressed their support. Šefčovič, reflecting on his experiences with RFE, stated that the European Commission would assess how to help RFE continue its operations. EU foreign ministers in Brussels also discussed the issue of RFE/RL’s funding on Monday.
