The Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia (CESAA) was launched as an independent body on 16 March 1991 in Melbourne. The initiative for such an Association was based on the experience of the national Associations for Contemporary European Studies in each of the member states of the European Union and elsewhere, which is an experience of cooperation, sharing of learning and research interests and dissemination of information and critical analysis on contemporary issues. In June 2020, CESAA and the European Union Studies Association of New Zealand merged to form the European Studies Association of Australia and New Zealand. The merger created two branches in Melbourne and in Christchurch, while also a third branch formed in Sydney. Through these branches, ESAANZ aims to further European studies in Australia and New Zealand.