US President Trump has given the radio broadcaster Free Europe, now the EU is jumping in: around 5.5 million euros flow from Brussels to Free Europe as emergency financing. The EU wants to secure the basis for independent journalism.
The EU has granted 5.5 million euros to the U.S. foreigner Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) after the US government frozen the financing of the transmitter.
“This supports the vital work of Radio Free Europe,” said EU foreign commissioner Kaja Kallas after a meeting of EU Foreign Minister in Brussels. The 5.5 million euros are intended as “short -term emergency financing”, as a “security network for independent journalism”.
Trump froze the funds
The transmitter of the broadcaster of $ 77 million (around 68 million euros) had been frozen after US President Donald Trump took office. In March, Trump signed a decree that classifies the Usagm authority responsible for the abroad as a “unnecessary part of the German Bundesbureaucracy” and prescribes its drastic cuts. However, the broadcaster had sued the cuts before a US court.
Already at the beginning of the month, Sweden had promised the broadcaster almost two million euros. The decision of the United States means that people in many countries could lose access to free media was the reason.
RFE/RL should counter Soviet propaganda
The broadcaster RFE/RL originated in the Cold War, he was supposed to counter the Soviet propaganda at the time. In the meantime, reporting focuses on authoritarian countries such as Russia, China or Iran. The headquarters have been in Prague since 1995. The broadcaster is broadcast in 23 countries and in 27 languages and reaches around 50 million people weekly.
US foreigners such as RFE/RL have editorial precautions that guarantee independence despite the financing by the US government. This causes displeasure in the Trump camp, which has been struggling against the media for a long time. During his first term, Trump had proposed that the media financed by the US government should support his policy.
