The oldest documents in the collection primarily focus on CEETTAR's predecessors, the Internationale Unie van de nationale organisaties van Agrarische Loonbedrijven, the Union Internationale des Entrepreneurs de Travaux Agricoles and early international cooperation with other entities, and date back to the 1950s'.
Established in 1983 and based in Brussels, CEETTAR serves today as an essential interest group representing approximately 150,000 companies and nearly 600,000 workers. The organisation focuses on land-based contractors—specialised professionals providing technical services, advanced machinery, and skilled labour to the agricultural sector.
Throughout its history, CEETTAR has played a pivotal role in shaping European agricultural policy by acting as a representative bridge between EU authorities, farmers, machinery producers, and rural workers. Its collaborative efforts with major actors like the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations and the General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives (for farmers) and the European Agricultural Machinery Industry Association have been central to this mission. Notably, since its association with the European Federation of Food, Agriculture, and Tourism Trade Unions at the beginning of 2000s, and its merger with the European Network of Forest Entrepreneurs in 2014, it further expanded its influence into the sphere of social dialogue.