The European Union on Tuesday approved emergency funding to sustain Radio Free Europe after the Trump administration cut grants, citing concerns over a perceived liberal bias.
Established during the Cold War, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty broadcasts in 27 languages across 23 countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East, and has been engaged in legal battles with the US administration.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced that the bloc’s foreign ministers agreed to a €5.5m ($6.2m) contract aimed at supporting the broadcaster’s “vital” work. Described as “short-term emergency” aid, this funding acts as a “safety net” to preserve independent journalism, she said.
While the EU cannot cover the broadcaster’s global funding shortfall, Kallas emphasised its commitment to helping Radio Free Europe to “work and function in those countries that are in our neighbourhood and that are very much dependent on news coming from outside”.
In March, Ms Kallas reflected on how the network shaped her upbringing in Soviet-era Estonia. “Coming from the other side of the Iron Curtain, actually it was (from) the radio that we got a lot of information,” she said. “So, it has been a beacon of democracy, very valuable in this regard.”
Stephen Capus, president and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, told NPR in March this year, after the US funding cuts: “We’re living off of our savings right now. And we are in a position where we’re going to have to take some pretty drastic actions in the not-too-distant future.”
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is suing the Trump administration for cutting its funding, alleging unconstitutional withholding of Congress-approved money.
The broadcaster argues the funding cut harms its mission to provide independent news to people under autocratic regimes and ultimately aids America’s adversaries.
Mr Capus told the outlet: “We’re a lifeline to the people who live in those countries. And they have no access to information outside of largely government propaganda and other types of information like that.
“So we’re leaving the information battlefield, if you will, to these countries like Iran, like China, Russia – [countries] all over our coverage area, by the way. And so at a time when there’s so much happening in the world, think about what’s going on in the Middle East, all of the US international broadcasters, including Radio Free Europe and Voice of America, are threatened. VOA has gone silent.”
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a world treasure. For 75-years, this storied organization has made the world safer. Audiences view us as lifelines to the free world. Attempts to defund @RFERL would be a massive gift to America's enemies, many of whom are already celebrating pic.twitter.com/ya1GaadkgZ
— Steve Capus (@SteveCapus) March 15, 2025
Mr Capus said: “We can’t let this vital institution go silent.”
Meanwhile, Ms Kallas said that she hoped the 27 EU member countries would also provide more funds to help Radio Free Europe longer term. She said the bloc has been looking for “strategic areas” where it can help as the United States cuts foreign aid.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s corporate headquarters are in Washington and its journalistic headquarters are based in the Czech Republic, which has been leading the EU drive to find funds.
Last month, a US federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore $12m that was appropriated by Congress. Lawyers for the service, which has been operating for 75 years, said it would be forced to shut down in June without the money.
