The Council of Europe's current activities in the field of contemporary art are aimed primarily at promoting and increasing possibilities of exchange between its member states, especially with those in central and eastern Europe. The fall of communism in central and eastern Europe has resulted in tremendous upheavals in all sectors, particularly, as far as this document is concerned, in the cultural field. In a very short space of time, State support for cultural activities, which until then had benefited from high levels of State funding, fell dramatically or, in some countries, disappeared completely.
Culture is in danger of plunging into a serious crisis.
Many State publishing houses closed down and were replaced by myriads of independent companies which were often unprofitable and had no means of distribution. Vital subsidies were withdrawn from prestigious theatre, dance and film-making companies virtually overnight. Many new democracies thought that choosing a free market economy and opening up their borders, if it did not cure everything immediately, would at least solve their problems quickly. We should note in passing that the first international measure taken by most of the new East European democraties was to sign the Council of Europe's Cultural Convention before joining the Organisation itself. As a result, the number of signatory states to this Convention nearly doubled in the space of six years.