The initiative is based on the recognition of a growing demand to provide students and professionals in the cultural field with theoretical and practical knowledge on contemporary issues of cultural policy and to develop education frameworks corresponding to this need.

CPEG intends to provide an expert platform which tackles all aspects of this young and emerging academic discipline, especially in Eastern Europe and some of its neighbouring regions. Its activities are geared to the development and discussion of cultural policy education and shall promote and enhance academic training opportunities on this subject.

CPEG is closely affiliated with the South East European expert network of the Policies for Culture Programme of the European Cultural Foundation (Amsterdam) and ECUMEST Association (Bucharest). Current CPEG activities target the entire area of Central and Eastern Europe and especially address qualified universities in the countries of Albania, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia & Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine.

Improving research and International cooperation in cultural policies
"Cultural policy does not yet exist as a clearly defined area of study with agreed research paradigms and methodologies. It rather comprises a loose articulation of work emerging from different disciplinary origins-from arts management, communication studies, urban studies, cultural studies, cultural economics-and is not yet able to readily identify how its different parts add up to a cohesive whole".
   Tony Bennett / Colin Mercer
   "Recasting Cultural Policies-Improving research and International cooperation in cultural policies"

The role of universities in cultural policy and practice
European universities are in their essence cultural institutions, and hence are part of the process through which cultural practices are spread and cultural issues are debated and analysed. Often this happens implicitly and without selfconscious discussion within the university about the assumptions on which their cultural practices are based and without reflecting on their cultural impact. And often such discussion and reflection as does take place is framed by local cultures and assumptions.
Yet universities in Europe are becoming more and more caught up in transversal and transnational activities. More and more students spend time in countries other than those in which they were brought up. More and more university teachers and researchers are involved in working with their colleagues in other European countries. And - slowly - more and more opportunities are emerging for university teachers and researchers to work in positions in other countries.
Thus European universities are under pressure to be much more self-aware and explicit in thinking about their own roles in framing and contributing to the ways in which different European cultures are understood and transmitted. And they have much experience and expertise to bring to bear on how policies in the cultural field are developed.
   Helen Wallace
   Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies