Legal System of Denmark
Denmark is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in northern europe, bordering the baltic sea and the north sea, on a peninsula north of germany (jutland); also includes several major islands (sjaelland, fyn, and bornholm). The country achieved independence on ca. 965 (unified and christianized under harald i gormsson); 5 june 1849 (became a parliamentary constitutional monarchy). The capital is Copenhagen.
Government Overview
Government Type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy Chief of State: King FREDERIK X (since 14 January 2024) Head of Government: Prime Minister Mette FREDERIKSEN (since 27 June 2019) Cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch Administrative Divisions: metropolitan Denmark - 5 regions (regioner, singular - region); Hovedstaden (Capital), Midtjylland (Central Jutland), Nordjylland (North Jutland), Sjaelland (Zealand), Syddanmark (Southern Denmark) National Holiday: Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legal System
The legal system of Denmark is described as civil law; judicial review of legislative acts International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Constitutional Framework
The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest adopted 5 June 1953 Amendment Process: proposed by the Folketing (Parliament) with consent of the government; passage requires approval by the next Folketing following a general election, approval by simple majority vote of at least 40% of voters in a referendum, and assent of the chief of state
Judicial Branch
Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president and 18 judges) Judge Selection: judges appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, with the advice of the Judicial Appointments Council, a 6-member independent body of judges and lawyers; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 70 Subordinate Courts: Special Court of Indictment and Revision; 2 High Courts; Maritime and Commercial Court; county courts
Legislative Branch
The legislative structure consists of unicameral
Citizenship and Suffrage
Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Denmark Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Historical Background
Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is part of the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. The country has opted out of certain elements of the EU’s Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union and justice and home affairs issues.
This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Denmark based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.