The 1st European Haiku Congress, organized by the German Haiku Society, took place in the village of Steinfurth near Bad Neuheim, Germany, in May 2005. Around 60 poets from more than a dozen European countries and Japan attended. British poet David Cobb delivered the opening address, and the main business of the gathering consisted of presentations from the various haiku societies in Europe.

Two years after the 1st European Haiku Congress in Bad Neuheim, Germany, in May 2005, successfully completed its work, a second gathering of haiku poets from Europe, Japan, and North America was convened in the historic town of Vadstena, Sweden. Participants included 54 haikuists from 15 countries. The conference was convened under the auspices of the Swedish Haiku Society with economic assistance from the Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation. Organizers were Kai Falkman, Florence Vilén, and Helga Härle.