ENNHRI was established in 2013 to meet a clear need: an official network for European NHRIs. Prior to this, European NHRIs had been working together in a more informal grouping. Its success laid the foundations for ENNHRI as it is today.

1994: the first meeting of European NHRIs takes place.
1997: the European Group of NHRIs is established in Copenhagen.
2001: the European Group of NHRIs is accorded observer status at the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Human Rights.
2007: the Regulation for the EU Fundamental Rights Agency is adopted – it includes references to the Paris Principles and for the Agency to cooperate with NHRIs.
2008: the first collective NHRI intervention before the European Court of Human Rights is submitted in D.D. v. Lithuania, a case relating to the legal capacity rights of persons with disabilities.
2010: the European Commission’s first Fundamental Rights Strategy recognises the role of NHRIs.