The European Union is looking into the possible support of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty after the US government moved to cut the broadcaster's funding, sparking concern over the silencing of pro-democracy media.
At the initiative of the Czech Republic, a meeting of foreign ministers from the bloc's 27 members in Brussels on March 17 addressed the issue with the future of RFE/RL unclear due to the cutting of its Congress-approved funding by the administration of President Donald Trump over the weekend.
A diplomatic source with knowledge of the discussion told RFE/RL that the Czechs, along with Poland and the three Baltic countries -- Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania -- immediately expressed support for the idea, saying a halt in RFE/RL's operations would "be a gift to Europe's adversaries" and its dissolution would be "irreparable for democratic aspirations around the world."
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EU Ministers Discuss RFE/RL Funding After US Grant Cut
"It has been a beacon of democracy and very valuable," Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, told journalists after the meeting.
"It is sad to hear that the US is withdrawing its [RFE/RL's] funding. Now the question for us is can we come in with our funding to leave or fill the void that the US is leaving?" Kallas added.
Kallas said the question of funding doesn't have an automatic answer, but there was "really a push from the foreign ministers to discuss this and find the way."
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said he sensed "a certain interest" from other EU members in his country's initiative, and that "it is our responsibility to seriously deal with this issue."
Lipavsky's Polish counterpart, Radek Sikorski, also voiced support for RFE/RL, recalling how his father listened to the station as well as the Voice of America broadcaster during the Cold War.
"It's how we learnt the basic facts about our own countries because communist propaganda was so tightly controlled," he told reporters. "And these institutions continue to do similar work for autocracies today."
Sikorski also voiced support for Lipavsky's initiative to seek alternative avenues of funding for the US broadcasters.
"We will take a look at what can be done," he said. "We are at the stage of brainstorming, but clearly these are worthy institutions whose mission should continue."
Trump signed an executive order late on March 14 that aims to reduce seven federal agencies -- including the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other federal broadcasters.
The order, which also targets agencies that deal with homelessness, labor disputes, and community development, gave the heads of each governmental entity named seven days to submit a report confirming full compliance.
Hours after the executive order was published, a letter from the USAGM said the Congress-approved grant that funds RFE/RL, headquartered in the Czech capital, Prague, had been terminated.
SEE ALSO: What's Fueling Protests In Georgia, Hungary, Romania, And Serbia?RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Capus said canceling the grant agreement would be "a massive gift to America's enemies," a point that was echoed by many media rights watchdogs, democracy advocates, and politicians.
Added US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: "The Trump administration's latest effort to dismantle entities established and funded by Congress that provide accurate, unbiased information to hundreds of millions of people in countries where press freedom is under attack undermines the US commitment to democracy."
“If President Trump gets his way, those who depend on US supported independent media as alternatives to Chinese and Kremlin run media outlets and those living under authoritarian regimes will lose a critical lifeline."
Belarus opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya is one of those who has seen firsthand how an authoritarian regime works to negate unbiased and fact-based news from outlets such as RFE/RL.
In an August 2020 presidential election, her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, announced he would run as an opposition candidate to authoritarian ruler Aleksandr Lukashenko. He was jailed before the campaign even started and eventually sentenced along with four others to lengthy prison terms.
She ran in his place and claims, along with most Western governments, that she won. Election officials, however, declared Lukashenko the winner, touching off peaceful mass protests that turned deadly when security forces launched a brutal crackdown.
"For us, nations living under tyranny, RFE/RL and VOA News are symbols of the free world -- voices of truth," Tsikhanouskaya, who fled her country fearing for the safety of her family, said in a post on X.
"Many, like [RFE journalist] Ihar Losik, are in prison for working with them. For the United States, they are powerful tools of soft power, making America stronger and safer. Losing them would be a grave mistake."
SEE ALSO: What It's Like For Ihar Losik, Jailed In Belarus For 4 Years And Not Heard From In 16 MonthsLosik, a blogger and contributor to RFE/RL's Belarus Service, was convicted in December 2021 on multiple charges, including "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order," and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
He is one of four RFE/RL journalists and contributors -- along with Vladyslav Yesypenko, Nika Novak, and Farid Mehralizada -- who are currently imprisoned on charges related to their work.
Last year, the Russian government designated RFE/RL an "undesirable organization," a label that effectively banned the broadcaster from working in Russia while also exposing anyone who cooperates with the outlet to potential prosecution.
SEE ALSO: 'Undesirable' In Russia: What Does The Label Mean And What Are The Consequences?"We urge the EU to stand up for media freedom by supporting Radio Free Europe," Renew Europe, a pro-European and centrist political group in the European Parliament, said in a statement.
The USAGM is an independent US government agency that oversees the broadcasting of news and information in almost 50 languages to some 361 million people each week.
The total budget request for the USAGM for fiscal year 2025 was $950 million to fund all of its operations and capital investments.
This includes media outlets such as RFE/RL, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio Marti), Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) and the Open Technology Fund.
"We see these media outlets really as beacons of truth, of democracy, and of hope for millions of people around the world. And of course, at an age of unmoderated content and fake news, journalism, freedom of press...are critical for democracy, and this decision risks benefiting our common adversaries," European Commission spokesperson Audia Paula Pinho said on March 17.
Trump, who has taken several moves to slash government spending since taking office for a second term in January, clashed with the USAGM over editorial independence and the direction of programming during his first term.
He has reiterated those concerns again since retaking office. Supporters of the broadcasters say they are an important arm of US diplomacy.
In addition to the USAGM, the order targets Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and the Minority Business Development Agency.