The Spanish Council of State is an institution with a long history.Under the current Spanish Constitution it is defined as thesupreme consultative body of the Spanish Government. Thisarticle analyses the basic features of the Council of State focusingon its coexistence with the consultative bodies operating at thelevel of the regional governments in Spain. Looking to the future,the demand for more transparency and the publication of theCouncil of State’s opinions has to be balanced with the need toavoid the political instrumentalization of the Council of State asan institution as well as its reports.