Class ESSTS was originally established in 2000 in Copenhagen by Professor Mary Robertson and others. The inaugural meeting took place at UCL in 2001. The organization was reformed in 2008 at the Italian Neurological Society meeting in Bari, Italy. Since 2008, ESSTS has organised annual meetings as well as multiple educational workshops for TS and training visits for young researchers and clinicians supported by funds from the European Commission (COST Action European Network for the Study of TS).

One of the major achievements of the Society has been the publication of best practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of TS. ESSTS has also been instrumental in gaining research support for pan-European consortia, promising to shed light into the etiology of TS (EMTICS, TS-EUROTRAIN). ESSTS has also fostered the establishment of the European Tourette Day, celebrated each year on June 7, as well as a European-wide network of TS support and advocacy groups.