Environmental Factors and Health
1 Basic information about Denmark
Population. The Kingdom of Denmark is one of the smaller countries in Europe, covering an area of 43,000 km2, and has a population of 5,3 million. The population is homogenous with few indigenous minorities, and the number of foreigners living in the country is small. The language is Danish.
Government. Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. Under the 1953 Constitutional Act, legislative power is held jointly by the hereditary monarch (who has no formal legal power) and the unicameral Parliament, called Folketinget. The supreme power in Denmark is divided into three independent organs: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The legislative power rests with the Folketing; the executive power with the government (the Ministers); and the juridical power rests with the courts of justice. The local government is entrusted to 14 county councils and 275 municipal councils.
Three tiers of decision-making and administration. Danish democracy is organised in three autonomous political and administrative tiers:
 | National level: The Folketing (the Danish Parliament), Government and Government departments |
| Regional level: The counties; elected county councils and county administrations |
| Local level: The municipalities ; elected city councils and city council administrations. |
State administration. The state administration - or the central administration in Denmark - is similar to other countries divided into a number of ministries each with its special area. Most of these consist of a department and one or more agencies/directorates. In relation to environment and health in particular, the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries are of importance. The most important duties of the departments are tasks directed at the Parliament (the Folketing), e.g. drafting bills, answering questions from the Folketing, considering applications for appropriations from the Folketing or issuing statutory instruments.
County administration. Denmark is divided into 14 counties each of which is governed by a county council elected for a 4-year periods by direct election using the system of proportional representation. A whole range of administrative functions and services are carried out by the counties namely those which are too comprehensive to be handled by a municipality, for instance the provision of hospitals, post-16 secondary education, vocational training, public transport, and social welfare for the disabled. The counties are responsible for all public hospital services in Denmark, and they administer the National Health Insurance Service. The counties also have a wide range of vital tasks in the field of protection of nature and environment.
Municipal administration. Denmark is divided into 275 municipalities. A local council governs each local authority. The city council budget forms the cornerstone of the council’s control of local activities. It is through the budget that the council exercises its right to allocate public funds. Apart from its right to impose taxes, the right to decide on spending is paramount among the council’s powers and control measures. The municipalities deal with the tasks close to the citizens, for instance nurseries, primary and secondary schools, libraries, social security, and care of the elderly. They are also responsible for the implementation of a substantial part of the Danish environmental regulation as well as spatial planning.
Economy. The Danish economy has a diversified structure with high-tech industry and advanced business services playing a prominent role as well as agriculture and food production continues to be a significant sector. The educational system is specialised and all over the country there is a well developed network of educational and researches facilities.
Environment and health issues. Political and public interest in the environment and health is strong. The environmental policy in Denmark is characterised by participatory approaches and democratic traditions of initiating dialogues among interests groups in order to achieve consensus in environmental understanding and provide counselling for the governmental authorities.
European Union. Denmark is a Member State of the European Union.