The European Union is looking into possible support for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty after the US government moved to cut funding to the station, sparking fears of silencing pro-democracy media.
On 17 March, at the initiative of the Czech Republic, a meeting of the foreign ministers of the bloc's 27 member states was held in Brussels to address the question of RFE/RL's uncertain future as a result of the weekend funding cuts approved by Congress under President Donald Trump's administration.
A diplomatic source familiar with the talks told RFE/RL that the Czechs, along with Poland and the three Baltic states -- Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania -- immediately expressed support for the idea, saying that stopping RFE/RL's activities would be "a gift to Europe's adversaries" and that its dissolution would be "irreparable for democratic aspirations worldwide."
"She was a beacon of democracy and she was very valuable," she told reporters after the meeting Kaja Kallas, EU's top diplomat. "It is sad to hear that the US is withdrawing its funding [RFE/RL]. The question for us now is whether we can come up with our funding and leave, or fill the gap that the US is leaving." Kallas added.
Kallas said that the question of funding did not have an automatic answer, but that the foreign ministers "there really is pressure to discuss this and find a way forward".
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said he felt "some interest" from other EU members in his country's initiative and that "it is our responsibility to address this issue seriously".
Lipavsky's Polish counterpart Radek Sikorski also expressed support for RFE/RL and recalled how his father listened to the station, as well as the Voice of America, during the Cold War."That's how we learned basic facts about our countries, because communist propaganda was strictly controlled," he told reporters. "And these institutions are doing similar work for autocracies today."
Sikorski also expressed support for Lipavsky's initiative to seek alternative ways of funding US broadcasting. "Let's see what we can do," He said. "We are in the brainstorming phase, but it is clear that these are worthy institutions whose mission should continue."
Trump signed an executive order late on the evening of March 14 that seeks to downsize seven federal agencies - including the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other federal broadcasters.
The order, which also targets agencies dealing with homelessness, labor disputes and community development, gave the heads of all the named government entities seven days to submit a report confirming full compliance.
A few hours after the executive order was published, a letter arrived from USAGM stating that the Congressionally approved grant funding RFE/RL, based in the capital city of Prague, had been terminated.
rferl.org/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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