ABSTRACT
Regional conferences are institutions by which regional tier representatives, with or without the presence of the central state, conduct intergovernmental relations. These institutions give the regional level a collective voice in the national policy process, although with few of the rights that are accorded to the second chambers discussed above. They allow co-ordination of policy between regional and national levels of government, and between regions themselves. In systems where no regional second chamber exists, or where its impact is limited, these conferences can be the only method by which formal collective intergovernmental relations are conducted. Nevertheless, they are not restricted to systems that lack such regional second chambers. In Germany, Belgium and Austria, regional conferences play an integral part in the co-ordination of regional and central state policy. In the German example, these are crucial to co-ordination of policy in areas of Länder-only competence.
