The Eastern Europe Studies Centre (EESC) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization aiming to build civil society and promote democracy in Eastern Europe by monitoring and researching political, economic, and social developments in the region, and by developing qualitative analyses of them. EESC organizes conferences, seminars, and round-table discussions regarding issues relevant to civil society and democracy; it trains people in areas relevant to its mission; and it also offers consultations and recommendations to individuals and organizations cooperating with Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. EESC specializes in the EU Eastern neighborhood policy.

The Eastern Europe Studies Centre was established by the Vilnius University in 2006 in pursuance of the PHARE Cooperation Across the Borders program in the Baltic Sea region. The idea matured in Vilnius in accordance with Lithuania's wish to be active in Eastern Europe politics and to have a strong analytic centre that is able to analyze political, economic, and social processes in Easter Europe.

In 2007 EESC has expanded its field of activity by establishing the Democracy and Development Assistance Fund. Its fundamental aim is to promote Freedom and Democracy in the Eastern Europe by streghtening cooperation across the borders and building networks that would implement development oriented projects that would put grounds for emerging democratic processes in the region. The Fund has six programmes and is willing to support various projects in different fields.