ESTA was founded in 1990 in Brussels by the German and Dutch smoking tobacco associations (VdR and VNK). ESTA represents the interests of the European manufacturers, distributors and importers of fine-cut (rolling) tobacco, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco and nasal snuff tobacco.
The members of ESTA are mainly small and medium sized companies and include national associations from the European Union, the accession countries and the European Economic Area.
The core markets for fine-cut tobacco are Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium / Luxembourg, France and the UK.
The core markets for pipe tobacco are Germany, the UK, Denmark and France.
The core markets for nasal snuff tobacco are Germany and the UK.
Smoking tobacco comprises approximately 9% of the total sales of tobacco products in the European Union: around 8% for fine-cut tobacco and less than 1% for pipe tobacco.
Secretariat
| Mr Peter van der Mark | Secretary General |
| Ms Sandra Derocle | EU Affairs Manager |
| Mr Jonathan Goff | EU Affairs Manager |
Board
| Mr Christian Greiveldinger | Heintz van Landewyck S.c.r.l Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Chairman |
| Mr Laszlo Labody | British American Tobacco Belgium | Belgium | Vice-Chair |
| Mr Dirk Reinecke | Scandinavian Tobacco Group Deutschland GmbH | Germany | Vice-Chair |
| Mr Gábor Egressy | Continental Tobacco Corp. | Hungary | |
| Mr Patrick Engels | Pöschl Tabak GmbH & Co KG | Germany | |
| Dr. Istvan Komoroczki | Imperial Tobacco Brussels | Belgium | |
| Mr Franz Peter Marx | Verband der deutschen Rauchtabakindustrie | Germany | |
| Mr Rob Van Engelenburg | Vereniging Nederlandse Kerftabakindustrie | Netherlands | |
| Ms Manuela van Kessel | Imperial Tobacco Netherlands | Netherlands |
Executive Committee
| Mr Christian Greiveldinger | Heintz van Landewyck S.c.r.l Luxembourg | Luxembourg |
| Mr Laszlo Labody | British American Tobacco Belgium | Belgium |
| Mr Franz Peter Marx | Verband der deutschen Rauchtabakindustrie | Germany |
| Mr Dirk Reinecke | Scandinavian Tobacco Group Deutschland GmbH | Germany |
| Mr Peter van der Mark | European Smoking Tobacco Association | Belgium |
| Mr Rob Van Engelenburg | Vereniging Nederlandse Kerftabakindustrie | Netherlands |
Working Groups
| Alliance Building & NMA Working Group | Chairman: Istvan Komoroczki |
| Engagement & Communications Working Group | Chairman: Christian Greiveldinger |
| Pipe Tobacco Working Group | Chairman: Dirk Reinecke |
| Products Working Group | Chairman: Franz Peter Marx |
| Tax & Trade Working Group | Chairman: Laszlo Labody |
| Technical Taskforce | Chairwoman: Petra Taschner |
| Traditional Nasal Snuff & Chewing Tobacco Working Group | Chairman: Patrick Engels |