Sweden allocates $2 mln to RFE/RL in response to US aid changes

The Swedish government has announced it will allocate $2 million in 2025 to support the media corporation Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), according to a statement from the Government Office.

The move, outlined in a government press release, is described as “part of efforts to support journalists and independent media” and comes in response to recent changes in US aid policy affecting global media funding, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

In addition to the RFE/RL support, the Swedish Cabinet has increased its 2024 financial assistance to two organisations active in Eastern Europe. The European Endowment for Democracy will now receive $3.5 million annually—up from $2 million—while the Prague Civil Society Centre's funding has been doubled to $2 million.

The decision follows a period of uncertainty for US.-backed international media. On March 14, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order effectively dissolving the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees RFE/RL and Voice of America. The move was part of a broader push to reduce federal bureaucracy.

The decision sparked several lawsuits, mostly filed by employees of affected media outlets, seeking to reverse the changes. On March 26, USAGM rescinded its plan to cut funding for RFE/RL, and the US Congress subsequently allocated around $77 million to the station for the remainder of the year.

In a further development, on April 23, the District Court of Washington ordered the US administration to partially restore USAGM’s operations, effectively limiting the extent of the agency’s dissolution.

By Sabina Mammadli