European championships were open to amateur men based in Europe only, with each country allowed more than one competitor in an individual weight category.

[1] At the championships end, West Germany was by far the most successful nation, with the previous year's top nation, the Netherlands, finishing way behind in second, and Italy came third - more detail on the winners and medal tables can be found in the sections below.

The event was held in May 1978 in the border town of Wolfsburg, West Germany.

As with the previous years championships, the 1978 European Championships Full-Contact kickboxing category had seven weight divisions for men only, with all bouts fought under Full-Contact kickboxing rules.

[3] The 1978 European Championships saw the introduction of a second category, Semi-Contact, a form of kickboxing which differed from Full-Contact in that competitors were not allowed to use excessive force and won fights instead by relying on speed, skill and technique to score points - more detail on Semi-Contact rules can be found on the W.A.K.O.