On the 17th October 1982 seven NUSes (Norway, United Kingdom, Sweden, Iceland, France, Denmark and Austria) gathered together in Stockholm to create WESIB, the Western European Students Information Bureau. In February 1990 WESIB dropped the “W” to become the European Student Information Bureau following the political upheaval in Europe at the time. The in 1992 the name changed for the final time to ESIB – the National Unions of Students in Europe in recognition of the changing mission of ESIB t change from just an information sharing organisation to becoming a political organisation that represented the views of students to European institutions.

ESIB -The National Unions of Students in Europe is the umbrella organisation of 49 national unions of students from 36 countries. Through these member NUSes ESIB represents over 10 million students. The NUSes are open to all students in the country regardless of their political conviction, religion, ethnic or cultural origin, sexual orientation, social standing, run and controlled by students, which hold democratic elections and are run on democratic lines, they are autonomous and independent in their decision-making and which are representative. The aim of ESIB is to represent and promote the educational, social, economic and cultural interests of students at a European level towards all relevant bodies and in particular the European Union, Council of Europe and UNESCO.

We work to bring together, resource, train and inform national student representatives on European developments, particularly in fields of higher education and youth. Since more and more decisions concerning students are taken on the European level, ESIB's role as the European student platform is increasing. ESIB is ensuring student participation in European policy making; it support members by organising seminars, training and conferences relevant to students and conducts European-wide research and co-operation projects, provide information service and publishes magazine.

Over the years the office of ESIB has moved around Europe being hosted by the member NUSes. Following the establishment of WESIB in Stockholm the office was based in the SFS Office in Sweden from 1982 until 1985 funded by a grant by the Swedish Government. By 1985 the Grant was running low and so NUS UK offered to host WESIB in their London headquaters. In 1988 the office }ved to the ÖH offices in Vienna and remained there until 2000, when it was decided that for reasons of being near the European institutions the office should move to Brussels and was hosted by VVS.

Read the ESIB timeline!

Thanks to Judith Sargentini for compiling this timeline, if you have any more dates of interest to add to the timeline just e-mail secretariat@esib.org

1982:
WESIB (Western European Student Information Bureau) was founded at 17 October 1982 by the following NUS'es: NSU, NUSUK, SHI, SFS, UNEF-ID, DSF. OH. You can still read this in the founding agreement that is distributed as an annex of the constitution.

1983

1984

1985

1986 director Ralph (Sweden?)

1987
BM12 Sept. Dublin. OH was elected chair organisation for 1988.

1988
BM13 Oslo. Topic: content and co~trol
Brian Carty (Ireland), WESIB director. Sarah Adams (UK) became the new director
The secretariat moved from London to Vienna.

1989
BM15 Malta. Topic: current and future trends in HE. NUSUK is chair for 1989. SYL became member
Dec. first meeting of the YF Student forum (SF)

1990
9th February: The WESIB board agreed to drop all references to `west` and becomes ESIB.
May, Dublin. Second SF meeting.
BM19 Dec., Brussels. SYL is chair. Brian Carty elected as the deputy secretary ov the YF. The first ever ESIB newsletter was presented by KSU.
Dec. Brussels. Third SF meeting.

1991
VSS-UNES is the chair for year
BM20 March Vienna- Bratislava. Topic: Information, Communication, and Cooperation.
BM21 Nov. Ciudad Real. Discussion to change ESIB from information bureau to a mre political org. constitutional changes where made, and although the name ESIB was already used, it was now officially put in the constitution. DSF, OFESZ, UNIS, NSCC, UNEL and SSU were excepted as full members.
June Brussels first meeting of the YF WGE that replaced the SF. SF would in future only meet biannual.
Sept. fourth SF meeting
Amsterdam, women's conference.

1992
SFS is chair.
BM 22 march Malta topic: national and international Student Union Development.
Sept. Helsinki. Women's conference. CSP, and SUBiH where excepted as full members. A constitutional committee was created with the following members: director, SFS, OH, LSVb, FEF-VVS, UNEF-ID, ZSP, and SSU.
BM23 Nov. Helsinki. Topic: third wrld solidarity. ESIB went to several big constitutional changes giving the director (Sarah Adams) a more political role and establishing workgroups on education, social policy, and EC Policy and General administration/ east-west relations. The NUS from Czechoslovakia applied for separate full membership for VUS and SUS because of the separation of the country by 1-1-1993.
The last IUS general assembly took place in Cyprus

1993
SFS is chair.
March, the YF meeting in Roskilde abolished its WGE and replaced it by a Political Commission Education (PC2). The SF stayed in function.
BM24 Heino, Netherlands. Topic: quality of education. The name 'European Student Information Bureau' was abolished, but the acronym was kept with the new subtitle: 'The National Unions of Students in Europe.'
Sept. Women's meeting, Malta
Sept. 8th meeting of the SF in Brussels
BM, Luxembourg. Topic: student mobility. The women's committee was established

1994
Richard Hill was elected as director.
BM26. Warsaw, Poland topic: social welfare
Oct. Graz, joint ESIB - OBESSU conference on Access to HE.
BM27, Belfast. Topic: Equal rights in Higher Education. Stephen Grogan (Ireland) was appointed as director

1995
The YF student forum was abolished and replaced by annual TEET. (Thematical Event on Education and Training)
BM28, Uppsala. Topic: Funding of HE. The North South forum and the anti-discrimination WG were established.
BM29, Ljubljana. Topic: participation in decision making. HÖKOSZ was elected as the new ESIB chair and would in BM30 take over from SYL. A constitutional committee consisting of NSU, POFNE, NUSUK, UNEL and SSU was established with it. For the first time since the war SUBiH from Bosnia & Herzegovina attended the seminar.

1996
Women's conference in Oslo
Last TEET meeting in Brussels.
BM30 Budapest. Topic: student cooperation. ESIB went to a big constitutional change allowing us to develop in the a more politically lobby organisation and establishing an Executive Committee. A definition of the co~tent of Europe was not carried. The anti-discrimination WG was abolished. New accepted members: LMS (Denmark), FZS (Germany), UBS (Bulgaria).
Stephen Grogan was elected as secretary-general of the EYF.
BM31, Brussels. Topic: life long learning. The first EC ever was elected, though lacking a chair. Reuben Seychell (KSU), Helena Randerborg (OH), Outi Hannula (SYL) and Malcolm Byre (USI). Stephen Grogan, Ireland, was followed by Kathrine Vangen, Norway as the new director. By exception the membership application of NUIS was voted upon in this autumn BM, and NUIS was accepted as member. A motion demanding to turn of mobile phones during the BM was carried. In the week before the seminar the North South forum met. OCLAE, ASA, AASU en GUAS delegations were present.
November, Vienna, The World Youth Forum

1997
BM32, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Topic: studying obstacles. (Quality) The Chair is elected: Agnieszka Bolimowska (ZSP)
Summer, Cuba, world Youth festival
BM33, Bratislava, (Casna Papiernicka) Slovakia. Topic: graduate employment. The new EC is elected: Peter Søndergaard (DSF) chair. Antti Pentikäinen (SYL), Hilde Widerøe Wibe (NSU), Emese Szitasi (HOOK), and Judith Sargentini (LSVb)

1998:
April BM34 Malta: topic: international policies. We welcomed 7 new member u~ions, LSS (Lithuania), LSA (Latvia), StL (Norway), SAMOK (Finland), PSP (Poland), Fage (France), LSA (Belarus), and welcomed back POFNE (Cyprus) which brought the score up to 35 members from 29 countries.
August, Portugal the UN world youth forum and festival
Oct., Salzburg. Kathrine is elected as bureau member of the EYF, responsible for educational issues, and Peter Søndergaard is elected as member of the Council of Europe youth foundation committee. After discussions the EWF of the YF will stay in existence.
October, Paris, UNESCO's first World Conference on Higher Education. 25 ESIB participants, delegations from AASU, ASA, GUAS and OCLAE. 300 students in general
BM35, Vienna - Admont. The EC will be elected, as well as a new director
Nov. women's meeting in Ljubljana
<p>