van Staa was elected vice president of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress of the Council of Europe. In 1998, he became president of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress, and in May, 2002, President of the Congress. Since May 2004 he has served as past president of the Congress. In October 2002, he was elected governor of the Tyrol Region; in October 2003 he was re-elected governor. Since February 2004, he has been vice president of the Committee of the Regions and leader of the Austrian delegation. In the 2008 state election, he was ousted as Governor of Tyrol by Günther Platter, but went on to be elected President of the regional parliament (Landtag). He is imperial Knight of Honor of the Order of St. George. References 1942 births Living people Congress of the Council of Europe European People's Party politicians University of Innsbruck alumni Governors of Tyrol Austrian People's Party politicians Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria