Landkreistag Nordrhein-Westfalen

The Landkreistag Nordrhein-Westfalen (LKT NRW) is the municipal umbrella association (kommunaler Spitzenverband) of the districts (Kreise) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It represents the common interests of the 31 districts of the state, which together have around 11 million inhabitants. Its members are the 31 North Rhine-Westphalian districts, represented by their Landrat (district administrator), as well as the two Landschaftsverbände Rheinland and Westfalen-Lippe and the Regionalverband Ruhr as extraordinary members. The association is headquartered in Düsseldorf. The LKT NRW is not a government authority but a registered association (eingetragener Verein) whose members are these districts and associations. It holds a special status under the state constitution: the right to be heard by the legislature on laws and regulations affecting the districts and to issue statements on behalf of all districts. Its tasks include advising the state parliament and state government on legislation and decrees affecting the districts, addressing questions of organization, efficiency and administrative capacity of the districts, advising and informing its members, promoting the exchange of experience among the districts, and informing the public about the tasks, institutions and problems of the districts. The association is itself a member of the Deutscher Landkreistag (DLT) in Berlin, which represents the interests of districts at the federal level. Through the 13 nationwide district associations of the non-city states, all 294 (Land-)Kreise of the Federal Republic belong to the DLT. The LKT NRW is also the sponsor of the Freiherr-vom-Stein-Institut (FSI), the scientific research institute of the Landkreistag at the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster. The FSI conducts foundational work in municipal and state sciences and fosters the relationship between municipal practice and municipal sciences. The organization's highest body is the Landkreisversammlung (district assembly), which consists of two voting delegates from each district and the Städteregion Aachen, plus one voting delegate from each of the three extraordinary members, and meets at least once a year. It elects the president and two vice-presidents and sets the principles of the association's work. The Vorstand (board) consists of the 30 Landräte and the Städteregionsrat, plus the head of the office (Hauptgeschäftsführer) as managing board member. The office is led by the Hauptgeschäftsführer, who is elected by the Landkreisversammlung for eight years and manages day-to-day business under the supervision of the board. The association maintains ongoing contact with the state parliament and state government. As of March 2023, the association is represented by President Olaf Gericke (CDU, Landrat of Kreis Warendorf), First Vice-President Stephan Pusch (CDU, Landrat of Kreis Heinsberg), Second Vice-President Andreas Müller (SPD, Landrat of Kreis Siegen-Wittgenstein), and Hauptgeschäftsführer Martin Klein. The LKT NRW addresses policy areas including finance, labor and social affairs, economy, health, consumer protection, family, children and youth, construction and transport, environmental protection, and security and order. It regularly publishes press releases and statements on current issues affecting the districts, such as social welfare costs, the Gemeindefinanzierungsgesetz (GFG), and nature conservation.

The Landkreistag Nordrhein-Westfalen (LKT NRW) is the municipal umbrella association of the districts in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was established as the representative body for the state's districts, which were formed and reorganized over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. The association is a registered association (eingetragener Verein) and is not a government authority. Its legal basis includes the right, derived from the state constitution, to be heard by the state legislature on laws and regulations affecting the districts and to issue statements on behalf of all districts. Over time, the LKT NRW has become the central advocacy organization for the 31 districts of North Rhine-Westphalia, which together have around 11 million inhabitants. Its members include the 31 districts, represented by their Landrat, as well as the Landschaftsverband Rheinland, the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, and the Regionalverband Ruhr as extraordinary members. The association is itself a member of the Deutscher Landkreistag (DLT) in Berlin, which represents district interests at the federal level. Through the 13 nationwide district associations of the non-city states, all 294 (Land-)Kreise of the Federal Republic belong to the DLT. The LKT NRW is also the sponsor of the Freiherr-vom-Stein-Institut (FSI), a scientific research institute at the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster. The FSI conducts foundational work in municipal and state sciences and fosters the relationship between municipal practice and municipal sciences. The association's internal organization includes the Landkreisversammlung (district assembly) as the highest body, composed of two voting delegates from each district and the Städteregion Aachen, plus one voting delegate from each of the three extraordinary members. It meets at least once a year, elects the president and two vice-presidents, and sets the principles of the association's work. The Vorstand (board) consists of the 30 Landräte and the Städteregionsrat, plus the head of the office (Hauptgeschäftsführer) as managing board member. The office is led by the Hauptgeschäftsführer, who is elected by the Landkreisversammlung for eight years and manages day-to-day business under the supervision of the board. The association maintains ongoing contact with the state parliament and state government. As of March 2023, the association is represented by President Olaf Gericke (CDU, Landrat of Kreis Warendorf), First Vice-President Stephan Pusch (CDU, Landrat of Kreis Heinsberg), Second Vice-President Andreas Müller (SPD, Landrat of Kreis Siegen-Wittgenstein), and Hauptgeschäftsführer Martin Klein. The LKT NRW addresses policy areas including finance, labor and social affairs, economy, health, consumer protection, family, children and youth, construction and transport, environmental protection, and security and order. It regularly publishes press releases and statements on current issues affecting the districts, such as social welfare costs, the Gemeindefinanzierungsgesetz (GFG), and nature conservation.

• Olaf Gericke becomes President of the Landkreistag NRW, with Stephan Pusch and Andreas Müller as Vice-Presidents.

• Current version of the LKT NRW statutes (Satzung) dated 18 November 2025.

• LKT NRW comments on the cabinet decision to increase the association rate in the Gemeindefinanzierungsgesetz (GFG).

• LKT NRW press release on rising social spending pushing municipalities to their limits.

• LKT NRW press release calling for clarification of the handling of the Coesfeld List.

Municipal umbrella association and advocacy body for the districts of North Rhine-Westphalia

1. 1Landkreistag NRW | Landkreistag NRW*lkt-nrw.de
2. 2WIR ÜBER UNS | Landkreistag NRW*lkt-nrw.de
3. 3Aufgaben | Landkreistag NRW*lkt-nrw.de
4. 4MITGLIEDER | Landkreistag NRW*lkt-nrw.de
5. 5Landkreistag Nordrhein-Westfalen - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
6. 6Landkreistag Nordrhein-Westfalen - Wikidatawikidata.org