Drawing on their personal experiences, the authors reflect on the relationship between the European Educational Research Association (EERA) Council and the National Educational Research Associations (NERAs). The article will argue that while much of the work undertaken by the EERA Council is hugely valuable, at times it can be difficult to see a causal link between discussions and decisions at this level and changes in governance and practice at the level of national associations. Having said that, it is hoped that the article will give an idea of issues that emerged and challenges that might yet need to be faced in the EERA Council. These included the impact of changes in governance structures on the way EERA interacts with NERAs and other constituent groups. In addition, there has also been an ongoing debate around the definition of European in the context of educational research and the connected challenges of the identification and operationalisation of a core set of values to underpin this endeavour. Finally, the article explores the manner in which EERA Council as a representative body of national associations helped shape the processes whereby the association interacted with a range of external partners.