Dania

Abstract

In Denmark, the Commission on Administrative Structure started off a new local government reform in October 2002. This reform contained three main goals: new municipalities, new distribution of tasks, and a new financing system. Besides, the new Local Government Act included: abolishing the county councils and the Greater Copenhagen Authority, creating five administrative regions to take responsibility for hospitals, creating larger municipalities with more than 30 000 inhabitants (finally 98 communes), and delegating to the municipalities the overall responsibility for local business development in collaboration with the business. The local government reform created a new structure of the public sector where the state lay down the general framework. 98 municipalities replaced the previous 271. The municipalities undertook most of the citizen-related tasks. This reform have had an impact on local democracy in Denmark because of the newly established democratic departments (regional councils) and more political decisions being made on the local level. Since 2007, the new responsibilities of the regions have been: hospital service, regional development, environment, business, tourism, employment, education and culture, raw material mapping and planning, and establishment of transport companies throughout Denmark. Responsibilities of the municipalities since 2007 have been, among other: social services, primary schools, care for the elderly, health care, activation and employment projects for the unemployed, supplies and emergency preparedness, local business service and promotion of tourism, participation in regional transport companies, and local road networks.