Radio Free Europe suspends its services in Bulgaria and Romania

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) announced that it will cease operations of its services in Bulgaria and Romania on March 31 due to budget cuts. The company’s president, Stephen Capus, praised the work of the Bulgarian team highly and said the decision was driven solely by financial reasons.

According to the director of the Bulgarian service, Ivan Bedrov, intensive efforts are underway to ensure that activities in Bulgaria continue even after the closure, the Bulgarian editorial office of “Svobodna Evropa” reported.

On Wednesday, Capus wrote on X that the decision to close the services in Bulgaria and Romania was not made lightly and is necessary due to “ongoing budget challenges”.

“We are proud of the unflinching, balanced journalism produced by Svobodna Evropa and Europa Liberă România since their return to Bulgaria and Romania in 2019 and are grateful to these teams for their dedication to their audiences – and RFE/RL – over the last seven years”, Capus wrote.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova
English: R. Petkova