Kriging interpolation technique is adapted to create the mapping of surface ozone seasonality and trends across Europe during 1997–2006, based on European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme ground measurements. The climatology, the annual and seasonal trends and the altitude above sea level (asl) dependence were studied as well as the relation with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The mean seasonal cycle amplitude and seasonal maximum display an increasing gradient from northwest to southeast, with high levels in Austria and eastern Mediterranean. Significantly close to 0 positive trends appear in UK, Slovakia, southern Scandinavia and Austria in winter and autumn. In Northern Hemisphere winter (December–February), about 40 % of near-surface ozone variability in the western edge of Europe may be attributed to circulation changes and ozone precursors’ transport related to NAO.