The Executive Council ensures the collective management of the ESF and is responsible to the General Assembly. It is composed of the President, the two Vice-Presidents and the Secretary General of the ESF and 18 members elected for three years by the General Assembly. It reports to the General Assembly.

The Council informs the member organisations about the activities and the projects of the ESF and assures close consultation with them, it appoints the Secretary General and the staff of General Secretariat, prepares the budget and the meetings of the General Assembly, sets up ad hoc Committees and proposes the creation of Standing Committees to the Assembly.

This sub founds contains the documents relating to the meetings and activities of the Executive Council and are composed of correspondence, reports and working documents. However, the documents are not always homogeneous: for some meetings, the fonds provides relatively little material whereas other meetings are represented by a more complete set of material.