European Commission will give €3 million to support journalists exiled from Russia and Belarus
The European Commission will provide almost €3 million in aid to independent journalists exiled from Russia and Belarus working in the European Union.
The EU funding aims to support independent media and journalists from Belarus and Russia working in EU countries, enabling them to continue producing and distributing content to their audiences without "editorial interference". The funds will also be used to create a pan-European platform or network of media centres to promote independent journalism.
The European Commission has announced that from Monday to 14 March, public, international, non-governmental organisations and research centres can apply for support for journalists.
The planned budget is €2.94 million. This is the second EU proposal to fund independent media from Russia and Belarus. The previous one, in 2023, had a budget of €2.2 million.
The European Commission reported that the Russian and Belarusian authorities have taken measures to suppress independent journalism and criticism of the governments. As a result of this interference, independent newspapers, websites, and TV channels are forced to reach their audiences from the EU, which poses a serious challenge.
Meanwhile, as the European Commission emphasises, independent media and civil society "Russian independent media and civil society play a vital role in ensuring the continued flow of information to Russian audiences, in and outside Russia".
The EU's support for Russian and Belarusian independent media is a priority enshrined in several EU policy instruments, including the upcoming Democracy Shield, which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced last year when she presented the political priorities of the new European Commission.
The European Commission noted that approximately 1,500 journalists from Russia and Belarus fled or moved to the EU in 2024 alone.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya believes that the attitude of some members of the so-called Russian opposition to her country is no different from Putin's.
The Russian democratic opposition is now de facto led by Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of the deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who announced her political ambitions in Russia after her husband died in a Russian colony in early 2024 and began meeting with foreign leaders.
Navalnaya's attitude towards Ukraine and the war in Ukraine has been criticised by Ukrainian officials.