APURE was founded in Paris in 1988 as an institution operating within a partnership between GREP, FNFR, INPSA and Dijon, the Ministry of Agriculture and organizations from other European countries. It was granted the statute of a French non-profit organization according to the law of 1901. From 1998, it was part of the Advisory Committee "Development of rural areas" of the European Commission and by 2002 was officially subsidized by the Committee for International Pilotage (CPI), in which representatives of numerous European circles sat.

APURE was inspired by both the National (Regional) Universities located in the rural environment, National Universities for Agricultural Areas, which united national universities from 1983, the environment of one of the partners, founders of APURE, and Agricultural Universities of the 1960s, which became the Fontevrault Workshops organized by GREP in the 1970s.

APURE brings together 15 countries of the Community and Canada and spreads the principles of sustainable development of rural Europe. It is a modern international non-governmental organization that practices exchange of knowledge and experiences, caring for preserving the cultural diversity of our continent and improving access to employment. It supports the professional activity of residents and institutions active in the field of professional activation and social integration of rural areas. APURE also cooperates with the European Commission in the field of giving opinions and recommending activities carried out in rural Europe. As an international association, it prides itself on many achievements, including: organizing outgoing sessions in member countries, supporting international projects and creating networks of institutions acting for the development of rural areas, promoting important ideas outside the European continent. APURE also participates in the most important EU seminars and programs.

In 2007, the APURE branch in Poland was established, with headquarters in Sucha Beskidzka, and WSTiE was granted power of attorney to represent this organization throughout the country. Until 2014, it operated under the name Association for the Development of Regions.