EU to Provide Emergency Funding to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

The European Union will offer financial assistance to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), including its Kazakh service, Radio Azattyq, Orda.kz reports.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Kallas described the funding as emergency aid, noting that while the EU cannot fully meet the organization’s global financial needs, it is able to support media operations in “EU neighboring countries,” as well as in the North Caucasus and Central Asia.

She expressed hope that additional funds could be allocated in the future to ensure long-term support for RFE/RL.

The funding will be channeled through the European Endowment for Democracy, a non-governmental organization.

In March of this year, a decree by former U.S. President Donald Trump suspended funding for the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees RFE/RL. The agency manages five bureaus across Central Asia: the Kazakh and Kyrgyz services of Azattyq (Azattyk), Tajik Ozodi, Turkmen Azatlyk, and Uzbek Ozodlik.

Experts in Central Asia have described the potential closure of Radio Azattyq as a “black swan” event and a major blow to the region’s media environment.

Original Author: Raushan Korzhumbekova