President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von Der Leyen on Wednesday expressed support for Radio Free Europe/Radio Freedom (RFE/RL) based in Praguewhich threatens a drastic reduction in financing by President Donald Trump’s administration. According to DPA, TASR reports this.
“Radio Free Europe provides independent news in many countries where media freedom is at risk,” She wrote von der Leyen on the X -Network. The President of the EC said she wanted to work with partners such as Germany, the Czech Republic and Sweden to support the radio and its “award -winning journalism.”
US President Donald Trump recently signed a decree ordered extensive cuts in the United States agency for global media (USAGM). It is in charge of all state -funded foreign broadcasting programs in the US, which is not operated by the army. RFE/RL subsequently brought a lawsuit against USAGM and considers stopping funds to be illegal because the US Congress decided to finance the radio. On Tuesday, the court issued a preliminary measure to temporarily blocked the effort to stop funding. The court’s decision is expected in the coming weeks.
DPA recalls that several European states headed by the Czech Republic are discussing the ways of maintaining funding for RFE/RL. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský said last week that the annual station budget is approximately $ 120 million (about € 110 million), which is a “achievable amount” for Europe. For the Czech Republic, however, it is beyond the limit.
RFE/RL has been based in Prague since 1995, and now broadcasted in 27 languages for 23 countries, including Russia, where it was declared a “unwanted organization” in February 2024.
