Congress President

Marc Cools, President of the Congress


Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG) was elected President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on 24 October 2023 for a mandate of two years and a half. He is currently the Communal Councillor of Uccle (Belgium) and Honorary Vice-President of the Brussels Parliament  and was previously the chair of the Independent and Liberal Democrat Group in the Congress.

Chamber of Local Authorities

Bernd Vöhringer, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities

Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE) was elected on 25 October 2023 President of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress for a two-and-a-half-year term of office.

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Back International Migrants Day: Congress President underlines the crucial role of local and regional authorities

International Migrants Day: Congress President underlines the crucial role of local and regional authorities

On the occasion of International Migrants Day and following the adoption of the United Nations Global Migration Pact, better known as the Marrakech Pact, Congress President Anders KNAPE said:

"The issue of migration is more than ever at the heart of public policies, particularly at local and regional level. Local and regional authorities have a key role in organising the reception of migrants and their integration. This is the perspective in which we have been working for several years, with a particular focus on co-operation at all levels of governance.”

Early integration is a crucial step to facilitate the long-term inclusion of migrants and refugees. With regard to border regions, to which the Congress pays particular attention, it is necessary to clarify the legal framework to better distribute competences between the different levels of governance".

The Congress also addressed participation in local elections and the enhanced protection of refugee children with its adoption of various recommendations.

 More information 

International migrants day Strasbourg, France 18 December 2018
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President's role

The President's role is to direct the political activities of the Congress and its Chambers, to carry out Congress policy and to represent the Congress vis-à-vis other international organisations, within the context of the Council of Europe's general policy on external relations.

The President of the Congress ensures that decisions taken by the Congress are implemented and reacts on behalf of the Congress to current developments. He or she also presents the activities of the Congress and the texts that it has adopted to the Parliamentary Assembly and Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.  

Chamber of Regions

Tunc Soyer, President of the Chamber of Regions

Tunc Soyer (Türkiye, SOC/G/PD) was elected on 25 October 2023 President of the Chamber of Regions of the Congress for a two-and-a-half-year term of office.