The European Ramblers’ Association (ERA) was founded in Germany in 1969 and by 1971 consisted of 14 ramblers’ organisations from 6 countries. Today, this umbrella organisation comprises 50 ramblers’ organisations from 26 European states (+2 ramblers’ organisations from Israel and Morocco as observers).  These organisations have a total of over 5 million individual members.
Most of the member organisations have more than fifty years’ experience in organising and creating conditions to facilitate walking (path marking, construction of huts, viewing towers, shipyards, campsites etc.), and a number of them have been in existence for more than one hundred years (the oldest for more than 130 years).
 
The ERA’s aims are:

- the layout, marking and maintenance of 11 European long distance paths across Europe

- the layout, marking and maintenance of cross-border paths (at least across two states)

- understanding and protecting the countryside and the promotion of the principles of sustainable development

- a knowledge of European history and culture and the protection of its heritage

- the preservation of the right of free access to the countryside with respect for the environment

- cross-border cooperation

- the organisation of pan-European events

Until the end of the last century, the Association was concerned mostly with the marking of the European long distance paths. In 2000–2001, it organised the largest event in the history of the European walking - EURORANDO 2001. In 2006 it organised EURORANDO 2006 in Czech Republic. Since 2004, it has organised during the second week of September, within the framework of "European Walking Day", a number of events with a joint theme.