This year, the Agency is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. It was created in 1996 as a Danish Government initiative. Following a three-year trial period, the member countries took over the Agency. At the launch conference, Margrethe Vestager, the then Danish Minister of Education, said:

The Agency’s 29 member countries cover most of the European continent, and they all have widely different policies regarding inclusive education, based on their different historical and political backgrounds. Despite their differences, I am extremely pleased that our member countries have now agreed a 'focal point' for the work of the Agency in the form of a shared ultimate vision for inclusive education systems!