In a striking transatlantic role reversal, the European Union has pledged €5.5 million to prop up Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) after the United States abruptly froze its funding, citing domestic budget priorities.
The move comes as the Trump administration tightens the screws on Washington’s support for international media, leaving Brussels to assume the mantle of defending press freedom abroad.
Founded at the height of the Cold War, RFE/RL was long regarded as a flagship of American soft power — broadcasting uncensored news into authoritarian states from behind the Iron Curtain. That the EU now finds itself underwriting what was once a proud instrument of US foreign policy is a sharp indicator of the shifting geopolitical sands.
“This funding is not merely symbolic,” said European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová, announcing the package on Tuesday. “At a time when disinformation runs rampant and autocrats muzzle independent media, Europe cannot sit idle. The EU will act where others retreat.”
America retreats, Brussels fills the void
The White House’s decision to halt funding — a line item traditionally handled by the U.S. Agency for Global Media — has been criticised on both sides of the Atlantic. While officials in Washington argue that the cuts are necessary to rein in federal spending, critics say the decision is politically motivated, reflecting President Trump’s longstanding hostility to press institutions perceived as insufficiently deferential.
In a move that stunned many within the State Department, funding to RFE/RL was slashed in late April with immediate effect, threatening to shutter bureaux in countries like Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Georgia — nations where Kremlin influence looms large and journalistic freedom hangs by a thread.
By stepping in, Brussels has done more than plug a financial gap. It has made a clear statement: that the defence of democracy and the free press is no longer a foregone priority in Washington — and that Europe must now lead where the US once did.
Not just a cheque — a strategic signal
While €5.5 million is a relatively modest sum in the EU’s budgetary terms, the implications are significant. RFE/RL’s work is most critical in the EU’s eastern neighbourhood, a region increasingly viewed by Brussels as a frontline in the information wars waged by Moscow and, to a lesser extent, Beijing.
In recent months, Russian state media and affiliated online platforms have intensified campaigns targeting EU enlargement in the Balkans, sowing discord in Georgia’s pro-European movement, and undermining democratic reforms in Moldova. RFE/RL’s journalists — often working under threat of arrest, censorship or physical violence — are some of the only credible voices countering these narratives.
European diplomats say the decision to step in was not taken lightly. “This is not charity,” one EU official said. “It’s strategic investment. If the lights go out in Tbilisi, Chisinau or Minsk, it won’t be CNN or the BBC left standing. It’ll be local journalists working under the RFE banner.”
A transatlantic rift — or realignment?
The episode also highlights growing friction between Brussels and Washington over global values and soft power. While military cooperation under NATO remains strong, cultural and diplomatic common ground appears to be eroding under the Trump presidency.
President Trump, who once labelled the American press “the enemy of the people,” has shown little interest in international broadcasting as a foreign policy tool. Under his administration, leadership at the US Agency for Global Media has been reshuffled, budgets slashed, and editorial independence increasingly questioned.
In contrast, the EU’s recent Strategic Compass — its roadmap for global influence — includes robust commitments to democracy promotion, digital sovereignty, and support for civil society actors, including independent media.
“There is a growing awareness in Europe that soft power cannot be subcontracted to Washington,” said Sofia Kovács, a foreign policy analyst at the Hungarian Europe Society. “Trump’s America is no longer a reliable guardian of the liberal order. The EU must now take up that mantle — not by preaching, but by funding, protecting, and amplifying those on the frontlines.”
A new voice for Europe?
The development has prompted speculation that Brussels may be laying the groundwork for a more permanent European presence in global media. While RFE/RL will remain editorially independent, some in the European Parliament have floated the idea of a European-backed global broadcaster to counter both American disengagement and authoritarian disinformation.
For now, however, the focus is on keeping RFE’s operations afloat in hostile environments. Journalists working in Prague, Warsaw and Kyiv have expressed cautious optimism that the EU’s backing will help them maintain their reporting without fearing the lights will go out.
“This is not about Europe patting itself on the back,” said Jourová. “It’s about defending truth in an age of lies.”
In the battle for hearts and minds, it seems Brussels — not Washington — now carries the banner once held high by Reagan and Kennedy. And in a world where autocrats are only too eager to fill the void, that may matter more than ever.
