About us > Our history EN REVAMP 2

Eurostat stands out as one of the EU's oldest organisations, having contributed to the advancement of European integration since the early 1950s.

Eurostat’s own development reflects the evolving story of European cooperation and progress, from the Statistical Division of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) (1953-1958), to the Statistical Office of the European Communities (1958-1992) and now, since 1992, the Statistical Office of the EU.

Timeline of Eurostat’s history

  1. 1952
    A statistical service – renamed the Statistical Division in 1954 – is created on 1 October as one of the 12 divisions and services of the ECSC’s High Authority, the executive body tasked with implementing the 1951 Treaty of Paris that established the ECSC.
  2. 1958
    The Statistical Office of the European Communities is formed after cooperation among the ECSC members is expanded through the 1957 Treaty of Rome that establishes the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).
  3. 1972
    The Statistical Office of the European Communities is renamed ‘Eurostat’ in anticipation of the first expansion of the European Communities to 3 new countries in 1973.
  4. 1992
    Eurostat becomes the Statistical Office of the European Union as the Maastricht Treaty lays the foundations of the EU; its role is further extended with the establishment of the European Economic Area (EEA) that includes EU and EFTA countries.
  5. 1997
    The Treaty of Amsterdam introduces a paragraph on Community statistics into the EU treaties, EU regulation 322/97 establishes an EU statistical law prepared by Eurostat, and a European Commission decision defines Eurostat's role.
  6. 2005
    The European Statistics Code of Practice is adopted; later revised by the European Statistical System Committee in 2011 and 2017, Eurostat would be tasked with monitoring the code’s implementation nationally.
  7. 2009
    A new statistical law, EU regulation 223/2009, defines Eurostat’s role in a statistical governance framework based on the ESS, a partnership between Eurostat and the statistical authorities in the EU and EFTA countries.
  8. 2012
    A new European Commission decision on Eurostat further defines Eurostat's tasks and responsibilities within the Commission, and enhances Eurostat’s independence.
  9. 2024
    The revised EU regulation 223/2009 enhances Eurostat’s agility and innovation in a fast-changing world, better enabling Eurostat and national statistical authorities to provide timely, detailed statistics and respond effectively to emerging needs.

Further reading