PM Fiala: Czech government will do everything possible to save RFE/RL

The Czech government will do everything possible to ensure that Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is based in Prague, can continue to operate, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told the Financial Times. Mr. Fiala said that he himself had listened to the station during the days of communism in Czechoslovakia and is very proud that RFE/RL is now based in the Prague, where it moved in 1995. He called for the creation of a "coalition of states for a European solution". European Affairs Minister Martin Dvořák said this week that nine EU countries have backed the Czech initiative to support RFE/RL in Europe. Czech officials are discussing the matter with representatives of the European Commission, including EU Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin. The station’s existential crisis was precipitated by the decision of the Trump administration to cut funding.