The European Union has approved €5.5 million in emergency funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) following the withdrawal of U.S. financial support. The Trump administration had cut off funding in March 2025, claiming that RFE/RL promoted a “liberal-biased news agenda.”
In response, the EU stepped in to support independent journalism by designating these funds as a “safety net for free media”, according to EU External Action spokesperson Kaja Kallas. Kallas emphasized that RFE/RL plays a crucial role in the struggle against authoritarian regimes and recalled that the broadcaster was originally established during the Cold War to provide Western news to citizens under communist rule.
Kallas noted that while the emergency funds are vital, they will not be sufficient to cover all 27 languages in which RFE/RL broadcasts across 23 countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Special focus will be on regions in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
She stressed, “We live in an era of unfiltered content, making independent journalism more important than ever before.” The funds are expected to help RFE/RL maintain its operations in regions heavily reliant on international news.
Meanwhile, RFE/RL’s legal team has challenged the U.S. decision in court. An American judge has temporarily suspended the Trump administration’s funding cut for several public media outlets, including RFE/RL, although a federal appellate court has currently blocked that decision.
