Introduction Professional organisations and associations of occupational nursing can play a key role in the development of the speciality. The Federation of Occupational Health Nurses within the European Union (FOHNEU) was established on March 21 st 1993 in Windsor, United Kingdom. The Federation was founded by seven countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The aim was to represent the voice of Occupational Health Nursing within the EU in order to promote the Health, Safety and Well-Being of the European Workforce. FOHNEU is open to all OH nursing organisations in the EU. In 2002 the FOHNEU Executive Board decided to establish a Twinning Project. The objective was to approach fellow Occupational Health Nurses in the Accession Countries.

Methods In 2017, a cross-sectional survey was conducted asking country representatives of FOHNEU to complete a questionnaire exploring the characteristics and activities of their associations in FOHNEU. The archives and memories of the Federation were also explored.

Results The network and good collaboration with partner organisations is key to a continuous development and successful achievement of goals. It can be stated that FOHNEU has played a vital role in the development of occupational health nursing education over the past 25 years. The 1 st edition of the FOHNEU Core Curriculum was launched in 1996, followed by revised editions in 2002 and 2014. FOHNEU also contributed to the WHO document on ‘The Role of the Occupational Health Nurse in Workplace Health Management’ in 2001. The 1 st FOHNEU International Congress took place in Brussels, Belgium. The 7th Congress will be in 2019, which will provide possibility of knowledge and experience sharing among international delegates.

Conclusion FOHNEU has grown and changed over the past 25 years. This work give an overview about FOHNEU’s history and development since the constitution. FOHNEU look forward to the continuing and developing collaborative projects through the strong links created with new and existing memberships.