The Congress

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 47 member states and assessing the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. 

The Congress is made up of two chambers: the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions. It has 324 representatives and 324 substitutes, all appointed for four years, representing over 200,000 local and regional authorities in the Council of Europe’s 47 member states.

The Congress’s work is organised with three committees: a Monitoring Committee, a Governance Committee and a Current Affairs Committee. There are currently four political groups in the Congress.