This edition of the European Rowing Championships was for women only and was held from 26 to 28 August.

[1] Two weeks later, men would meet in Bled, Yugoslavia, at the second edition of the World Rowing Championships.

[1][3] For the first time since 1955, FISA allowed separate German crews to compete; in the intervening years, East and West Germany had to have selection trials to determine which rowers would start in the various boat classes.

[2] The 13 countries represented at the Bosbaan were Bulgaria, Great Britain, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Romania, the Soviet Union, Sweden, East Germany, West Germany, and the Netherlands as hosts.

[4][5] For the first time in the history of the European Championships, the East German women were more successful than their Soviet counterparts.