The Strukturreformen or Kommunalreformen (English: structural reform) meant large changes to the administrative structure of local government in Denmark. The reforms reduced 271 municipalities to 98 and replaced 13 counties with 5 regions. In addition, 14 state offices and were replaced by 5 state administrations. The Capital City Development Council (HUR) and the Capital City Hospital Association (H:S) were closed, and a number of other structures were reformed.
The reform was labelled the most radical reform of the political administrative system since the first democratic constitution in 1849. It was described by some as "the greatest centralization in Danish history since the introduction of the dictatorship".
The report was published on 9 January 2004 contained various proposals. One controversial reform was that the Danish government would take over the running of hospitals along with the total abolition of counties and replacement by regions. This was presented on 14 January 2004 in the Vingsted center in Egtved Municipality in the presence of almost 1,000 politicians, civil servants, administrative researchers and over 100 journalists. There was a majority in support for the reforms securing 94 seats out of the 179 seat Folketing after the Danish People's Party gave its support to the Venstre–Conservative People's Party coalition governments reform on 24 June 2004 in the Structure Agreement. The structural reform was adopted by the Danish Parliament on 16 June 2005 and entered into force on 26 June 2005 with the first election for the new municipalities and regions on 15 November 2005.
Immediately before the reform, the number of municipalities in Denmark had been reduced from 275 to 271, when the 5 municipalities in Bornholm County were merged after a on 29 May 2001. The new Bornholm Municipality came into being on 1 January 2003. This also reduced the number of county municipalities to 13. Ærø Municipality was part of the structural reform and was formed on 1 January 2006 by merging two municipalities so there were 270 municipalities. On 1 January 2007, 238 municipalities were merged into 66 new municipalities, and 13 county municipalities and 3 municipalities (Bornholm, Frederiksberg and Copenhagen) where the regions now own the hospitals in the region. The capital region also owns Sankt Hans Hospital which is located in Roskilde in Region Sjælland. From January 2027 the two regions in eastern Denmark will merge to form the Region of Eastern Denmark. In addition, 30 municipalities remained independent after 1 January 2007 and were thus not merged with other municipalities either immediately before or after 1 January 2007. Lolland and Sønderborg municipality consist of seven (7) old municipalities each, which is the highest among the newly formed municipalities. Ertholmene was not included in the reform, and is still today administered by the Ministry of Defence.
The structural reform replaced the structure of municipalities and county municipalities, which were introduced with the 1970 Danish Municipal Reform. An overview of both the old and the new structure can be seen on the page about Denmark's municipalities. The merged municipalities were decided in 2006 by an amalgamation committee, which consisted of the municipal board that was elected at the 2005 Danish local elections. In these municipalities, the election period for the old municipal councils was extended by one year, so that the old structure could function while the new one was set up.
Background In April 2004, the government (Venstre and Conservative People's Party) presented its proposal for a reform of the structure of the public sector : "The new Denmark - a simple public sector close to the citizen". This proposal was based on the Structure Commission's report. The had published the report on 9 January 2004. The report with various recommendations/proposals for the future number of regions/regional administrative levels - or none, since the state could take over the administration of hospitals - and municipalities was presented at a meeting for 900 politicians, civil servants, management researchers and interest organizations as well as 150 journalists on 14 January 2004 in the Vingsted center in the then Egtved Kommune near Vejle. The proposals subsequently formed the basis for negotiations between the government and the other parties in the Folketing. The negotiations resulted on 24 June 2004 in the Structural Agreement, an agreement on a reform between the government and the Danish People's Party. The structural agreement was three-pronged and included partly criteria for a new (geographical) division of municipalities and regions, partly a new distribution of tasks between municipalities, regions and the state and finally a financing and .
Based on the framework agreement, 50 legislative proposals were drawn up during the autumn of 2004. The legislative package was sent for consultation on 1 December 2004. The legislative package was tabled in the Folketing on 24 February 2005 and was considered in the Folketing over the spring of 2005, after which the final votes took place in mid-June. In the final votes, in addition to the governing parties Venstre and the Conservative People's Party as well as the Danish People's Party, well over half of the bills were supported by several of the other parties in the Folketing. The structural reform was finally approved by the parties in the Danish Parliament on 16 June 2005 and entered into force on 26 June 2005 after publication in the Legislative Gazette. A ministerial order, which was signed on 29 June 2005 by Minister of the Interior and Health Lars Løkke Rasmussen, entered into force on 1 July 2005.
Consequence changes The counties are not the only structure based on the municipalities. Other structures are police districts, judicial districts, electoral districts and . As an example Brædstrup Municipality (today Horsens Municipality, Voerladegård however in Skanderborg Municipality), later became of the following five structures:
Vejle County Horsens Police District (together with Horsens Municipality, Juelsminde Municipality, Hedensted Municipality, Tørring-Uldum Municipality, Nørre-Snede Municipality and Gedved Municipality) Brædstrup Retskreds (together with Nørre-Snede Municipality and Tørring-Uldum Municipality) The electoral district (together with Egtved Municipality, Give Municipality and Nørre-Snede Municipality) Them-Nørre Snede-Bræstrup Provsti (together with Them Municipality and Nørre-Snede Municipality)
All of these were therefore changed as a consequence of the Structural Reform.
Municipalities through the period The number of municipalities and population has varied quite a bit over time. In 1965, there were the most, namely 1345. There were 277 municipalities in Denmark from 1 April 1970 to and including 31 March 1974, the day before Sengeløse municipality, which had been established on 1 April 1970, became part of Høje-Taastrup Municipality and Store Magleby Parish and Dragør Parish became Dragør Municipality. From 1 April 1974 up to and including 31 December 2002, there were 275 municipalities in Denmark, then 271 municipalities up to and including 31 December 2005 (Bornholm had become one municipality), and 270 municipalities (Ærø had become one municipality) up to and including 31 December 2006. In addition to these two new municipalities, 30 municipalities remained independent after 1 January 2007. On 1 April 1972, many municipal boundaries were adjusted to a lesser extent, so that areas were taken over by other municipalities. April 1 was the effective date because the state and public sector fiscal years prior to January 1, 1979, began on April 1 (and ended on March 31 ). In 1976, the Danish Parliament passed the law, whereby the financial year became the same as the calendar year (January 1 to December 31), effective from 1 January 1979. The municipalities distributed by populationNumber of inhabitantsNumber of municipalitiesbefore 1 April 1970from 1 April 1974from 1 January 2007150,000 -144100,000 - 150,00031240,000 - 100,00010185020,000 - 40,00022253515,000 - 20,0001324010,000 - 15,000224133,000 - 10,00020616030 - 3,00082121In total1,09827598
The new municipalities and regions The 98 new municipalities came into existence on 1 January 2007. They henceforth functioned as the "entrance to the public sector". If residents are in doubt as to where a certain public service belongs after the municipal reform, they can contact their municipality.
Capital Region The Capital Region of Denmark (Hovedstaden) has its administration in Hillerød, and consists of 29 new municipalities. It includes the old counties of Frederiksborg and Copenhagen, and the municipalities of Bornholm, Frederiksberg and Copenhagen (the latter 3 functioned both as municipalities and county municipalities, but their status as county municipalities lapsed after the reform). Capital Region (1,645,825 inhabitants)New municipalityPreviousNotesAlbertslundAlbertslundAllerødAllerødAllerød first sought cooperation with , but when they preferred co-operation with Søllerød Municipality, it was considered to seek a merger with Hillerød Municipality. However, the municipality's citizens decided in a referendum on 18 November 2004 to remain independent.BallerupBallerupBornholmBornholmØen Bornholm bestod oprindeligt af fem kommuner og en amtskommune, men de blev efter The island of Bornholm originally consisted of five municipalities and one county, but after a on 29 May 2001 with 20,579 votes (73.97%) for and 7,242 (26.03%) against amalgamation, they were merged on 1 January 2003 four years before the nationwide Municipal Reform.