Access to records
In accordance with the Public Records Act, everyone has access to records held by the state and municipal authorities. Authorities can deny access to safeguard the privacy of others, state security orthe financial interests of the state.If you party to a case, you have expanded right of access to case records.
Activation
If you are claiming introductory benefit, cash benefit or unemployment benefit, you must have help and guidance to begin an education or find employment. This is called activation and may take the form of courses or on-the-job training. It is both a right and a duty to participate in activation as well as a precondition for receiving fi nancial assistance.
Building management office
The owner of a building hires staff to manage the building. They handle rental contracts, collect rent, hire caretakers and maintain contact with tenants.
Citizens' list
A citizens' list is a list of non-party candidates at a municipal election. Citizens' lists represent special local interests. Consumer Complaints Board, The The Consumer Complaints Board is a state institution that deals with consumer complaints relating to goods and services. The National Consumer Agency of Denmark is secretariat to the Consumer Complaints Board.
Custody
Custody is the parents' duty to care for their child and make personal decisions on the child's behalf that serve the best interests of the child. Parents who are married have joint custody of their
children. If the parents are unmarried, the mother will be awarded custody unless the parents decide otherwise. If the parents are separated or get divorced, they are normally awarded joint custody.
Danish Parliament, The
Folketinget is the Danish National Parliament. Folketinget has 179 members, two of whom are from Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Members are elected to serve for a four-year term. The prime minister can call for a general election before the end of the four-year term. Elections are held using proportional representation. This means that the parties running for election are given a number of
mandates in the Danish parliament corresponding to the number of votes they received.
Danish Working Environment Authority, The
The Danish Working Environment Authority is a public body whose task is to create a safe, healthy and progressive work environment in the workplace. To achieve these goals, the authority carries
out regular inspection of companies, draws up rules and regulations andpublishes information about occupational health and safety. The Danish Working Environment Authority has offices around the country. We refer to www.at.dk for further details.
Dankort payment card
The Dankort card is a special Danish payment card issued by the banks. Dankort cards are accepted in most places. You will be given a PIN code which must be used when withdrawing money from cashpoint machines. Some shops require a signature on a Dankort receipt.
Democracy
The word "folkestyre" means democracy.
District court
The district court is the court of first instance in the Danish judicial system. District courts deal with civil cases and the majority of criminal cases.
Educational association
An educational association is an organisation that coordinates and manages education work, especially in connection with vocational education.
EEA, The
The EEA is an abbreviation of the European Economic Area. This is an agreement between the EU member states and Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. The agreement came into force in 1994 and deals with the free movement of labour, goods, people, services and capital as well as uniform rules of competition.
EU, The
Up until 1993, the European Union was known as the EC (the European Community). Cooperation has gradually evolved since the first six countries signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Denmark became a member of the EC following a national referendum in 1972.
European Parliament, The
The European Parliament has 785 members who are elected by the citizens of its 27 EU member states. Members are elected to serve for a five-year term. The number of members depends on
the size of the country. Denmark has 14 members.
Evangelical Lutheran
The Danish National Church is an Evangelical Lutheran Church. This means that it belongs to the Christian Church, which split off from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation in the 16th century.
Folk high school
The folk high school - commonly referred to as the high school - is a special form of boarding school for adults and young people. High schools came into being in Denmark in the mid- nineteenth century. The idea behind the high school is to give young people and adults an insight
into history, culture and social life. High schools off er courses in music, art, sport, philosophy and social studies. Tuition does not lead to formal qualifications and pupils do not sit exams.
General education
General education is tuition and education for adults in general subjects, and is not work-related. General education is especially managed by high schools, libraries, cultural, ecclesiastical or political organisations.
Health and safety representative
A health and safety representative is elected by work colleagues to represent their interests in relation to the employer in questions regarding health and safety in the workplace. A health and safety representative is elected for a two-year term in the same way as a trade union representative, and must receive special training.
High school
We refer to Folk high school for further details.
Homeowners' association
A homeowners' association is an association formed by private homeowners in a given residential area. The association deals with matters of common interest - such as the maintenance of pavements and roads, for example.
Immigration Service, The
The Immigration Service is part of the Ministry of Integration, but its decisions are independent of the ministry. The Immigration Service deals with numerous matters relating to immigrant entry and residence in Denmark, including asylum, family reunifi cation, visas and work permits, for example. The Immigration Service makes its decisions on the basis of specific applications, and provides information on entry end residence conditions.
Industrial Court, The
The Industrial Court is a special court that rules in cases dealing with the interpretation and violation of agreements and accords between employers and employees. Judges are appointed by
the Minister of Employment.
Kingdom of Denmark, The
The Kingdom of Denmark is an economic, judicial and linguistic community that unites Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland together into one kingdom under the Danish constitution. Within the confines of the agreement, Greenland and the Faroe Islands are largely self-governing.
Maritime and Commercial Court, The
The Maritime and Commercial Court is a court that deals with commercial matters and accidents at sea. The Maritime and Commercial Court consists of a president, one or more vice president(s), a judge and a number of experts.
Maternity wards
A maternity ward is a hospital ward where women are admitted together with their newborn babies immediately after birth.
Media licence
A media licence is the user fee you pay when you own a radio, a TV or a computer that can receive radio and TV programmes. This is a fee for the right to receive radio and TV programmes. The media licence is used to finance Danmarks Radio - both its radio and TV departments - and TV2. Both stations have a so-called public service duty.
Mortgage provider
A mortgage is a loan which is secured against real property. When you take out a mortgage your house acts as a security for the loan. Mortgage lenders and mortgage credit institutes provide this kind of loan.
Municipal authorities
As of 1 January 2007, Denmark is divided into 98 municipal authorities. A municipality is a public authority that performs a number of services in the local community. The municipal authorities are free to make their own decisions in most areas. Municipal authorities are run by municipal councils which are elected every four years by the citizens living in the authority.
Municipal waste - recycling centres
It is the job of the municipal authorities to ensure that as much waste as possible is recycled. For this reason, authorities have municipal waste recycling centres where people can grade their waste
and place it in special containers for cardboard, glass, metal and garden waste, for example. Hazardous waste is delivered separately.
National Board of Industrial Injuries, The
The National Board of Industrial Injuries is a neutral body that determines whether an injury or illness can be recognised as an occupational injury. The board also decides whether you are entitled to compensation. It is the employer's insurance company that pays out employee compensation. We refer to www.arbejdsskadestyrelsen.dk for further details.
National Church, The
According to the Danish constitution, the Evangelical Lutheran Church is the National Danish Church. The word "national" signals that the majority of the population belongs to the Church, and
that it has a closer association with the state than other religious communities. In accordance with the constitution, the state must support the National Church, and parliament sets the guidelines for
the administration of church aff airs, and the state does not normally interfere in ecclesiastical matters. Danish National Church services are open to the public, and church members can freely avail themselves of church ceremonies such as christenings, confi rmations, marriages and funerals. National Church priests and parish clerks are responsible for registering all births in Denmark, a tradition that dates back to ancient times. One exception, however, is Southern Jutland,
where a person's registrar is responsible for registering births. National Church priests also act as a funeral authority, and as such must grant permission before the deceased can be buried or cremated.
National referendums
A national referendum gives the population the opportunity to vote on a specific decision that the Danish Parliament has made or is about to make. National referendums can either be binding or
of an indicative nature for parliament. In accordance with the Danish constitution, changes to the constitution and questions regarding loss of sovereignty to supranational authorities must be decided by national referendum. The last time a national referendum was used was in connection with Denmark's membership of the EU.
Night school
Night school is voluntary education that takes place in a person's leisure time. Tuition covers a wide range of subjects such as languages, history, IT, philosophy, drawing and physical exercise. The classes do not lead to qualifications and there are no exams. Night school classes are normally run by an educational association.
Non-prescription medicine
Various kinds of medicine can be bought over the counter, i.e. without a doctor's prescription. Chemists stock both non-prescription and prescription medicine.
OECD
OECD is an abbreviation for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment. This inter-governmental organisation numbers 30 member countries. It was founded in 1961. Its goal is to ensure a high standard of living and economic growth for its member states.
Probate Court, The
The Probate Court is a division of the district court. It deals with estates, bankrupt estates and questions regarding the distribution of spousal assets following divorce.
Public prosecutor
A public prosecutor represents the state in criminal cases tried by the high courts.
Public service
Public service is a term for radio and TV channels whose purpose it is to broadcast programmes of interest to the general public. Danmarks Radio (DR) and TV2 are public service stations. They have a duty to broadcast balanced, cultural and informative programmes.
Regional councils
As of 1 January 2007, Denmark is divided up into five regions, each of which manages regional tasks such as hospital administration, public transport and regional development tasks. Regions
are run by regional councils comprising 41 members who are elected every four years by the citizens living in the region.
Remanded in custody
To be remanded in custody simply means that a person who is suspected of having committed a crime is kept in prison.
Rent control board
All municipal authorities must have rent control boards. Many municipal authorities have a joint rent control board. The rent control board deals with complaints about the amount of rent, the condition of the apartment and other matters relating to tenancy conditions.
Representational democracy
A representative democracy is a form of government whereby the people elect members to a representative body. In Denmark, these bodies consist of the Danish Parliament, the five regions and the municipal authorities.
Resident association
A resident association is an association formed by residents who are tenants of the same building association. The association represents the interests of the residents in relation to the landlord.
Schengen Agreement, The
The Schengen Agreement is a collaborative agreement between the EU member states, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Germany and Austria and Norway, which is not a member of the EU. According to the provisions of the Schengen Agreement,
member state citizens can freely cross each other's borders without border control. Denmark has been a member since 1997.
Schengen information system, The
One of the central features of the Schengen Agreement is the establishment of an electronic network that enables all police authorities and consulates in Schengen member countries to have access to information about reported persons and missing articles and vehicles.
SSP scheme
The SSP scheme is a collaborative effort involving schools, municipal social authorities and the police. Its aim is to prevent crime amongst children and young people.
State administration, The
The state administration consists of regional state bodies whose duties include a number of tasks in connection with separation, divorce, custody and child visiting rights. The state administration
also handles adoption complaint cases, and rules on municipal authority decisions concerning work and social matters. In areas where there are no special regulatory authorities, the state regional administrations monitor the municipal authorities to ensure that they observe the laws particularly relating to public authorities.
Subsidised housing association
A subsidised housing association builds and rents out state-subsidised housing. Municipal authorities have a certain number of subsidised apartments at their disposal that can be allocated to local residents. Everyone over the age of 15 can have their names put down on a waiting list for a subsidised apartment. There is a small charge for this service. In many cases, finding a subsidised apartment can take many years.
Trade union representative
A trade union representative is elected by and from among work colleagues for a two-year period. The trade union representative must represent the interests of the employees in relation to the employer. It is also the job of the representative to represent the trade union in the workplace.
Unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefit is financial assistance given to unemployed who are members of an unemployment fund (a-kasse).
Unemployment fund
An unemployment fund or a-kasse is a private association of employees or independent business owners, and its purpose is to provide fi nancial assistance to its members if they become unemployed. Unemployment funds are closely associated with trade unions but you can become a member of an unemployment fund without being a member of a trade union.
WHO
WHO is an abbreviation for World Health Organisation, (Verdenssundhedsorganisationen), which is an organisation that was founded in 1948 under the UN. Its goal is to monitor infectious diseases and implement health programmes.
Yellow pages, The
The yellow pages are pages in a telephone directory that provide information on businesses. The yellow pages can also be found at www.degulesider.dk.
Youth education counsellor
Youth education counsellors (UU) can be contacted at special centres in your municipal authority. Here, people under 25 can seek educational advice and counselling.
Credits: The Danish Immigration Service
