[1] The history of the ESDN goes back to 2002, when public administrators from several EU Member States, in charge of national sustainable development (SD) strategies, met for the first time to exchange their experiences in the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, the annual conferences that facilitate an exchange of experience and knowledge in various ways have resulted in an informal network of SD strategy coordinators and other sustainability experts.

[3] At the European Sustainable Development Network Conference in Windsor, UK on July 14 and 15, 2005, delegates supported the idea of strengthening the network by establishing a Steering Group and a permanent support mechanism for the ESDN - the “ESDN Office”.

The FISD is divided into three units, who implement the service's key activities under the guidance of an editor: The FISD was created by a Royal Decree on 21 February 2014 (recorded in the Belgian Official Journal on 10 March 2014).

Operationally, while having the status of a separate service, the FISD is attached to the Federal Public Service for the Chancellery of the Prime Minister; consequently, having its own budget and enjoying the operational support (primarily for staff administration, ICT and the budget) of the Chancellery.