The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 46 member states. It brings together 612 elected officials representing more than 130 000 local and regional authorities.

Delegates of the Congress of the Council of Europe may form political groups and become members of these groups. A political group must consist of at least 20 delegates drawn from at least six national delegations to be recognised as a political group by the Congress. Each national delegation should reflect an equal balance of the political forces.

At present there are four political groups within the Congress.