Explanation of words
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*.
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 or the financial interests of the state.
If you party to a case, you have expanded right of access to case records.
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 financial assistance.
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.
Unemployment benefit is financial assistance given to unemployed who are members of an unemployment fund (a-kasse).
An unemployment fund or a-kasse is a private association of employees or independent business owners, and its purpose is to provide financial 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.
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.
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 http://www.ask.dk/ for further details.
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 and publishes 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.
A maternity ward is a hospital ward where women are admitted together with their newborn babies immediately after birth.
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.
A citizens' list is a list of non-party candidates at a municipal election. Citizens' lists represent special local interests.
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.
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.
The yellow pages are pages in a telephone directory that provide information on businesses. The yellow pages can also be found at http://www.degulesider.dk
The owner of a building hires staff to manage the building. They handle rental contracts, collect rent, hire caretakers and maintain contact with tenants.
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. The EU now comprises 27 European member states. These are Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Austria.
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.
The Council of Europe is an inter-governmental political organisation founded in 1949. The Council has 47 member states that work together to promote democracy and human rights. It is the Council of Europe that is responsible for drawing up the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950.
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.
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.
The UN is an abbreviation for the United Nations, the United Nations Organisation of 1945. The organisation's goal is to maintain international peace and security, and to cooperate internationally to resolve international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian conflicts and promote respect for human rights. The UN has 192 members and six main organs. These are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat. The UN headquarters are in New York.
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.
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 offer courses in music, art, sport, philosophy and social studies. Tuition does not lead to formal qualifications and pupils do not sit exams.
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 affairs, 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, confirmations, 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.
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.
The word "folkestyre" means democracy.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
We refer to Folk high school for further details.
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.
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.
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.
NATO is an abbreviation for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which is a western defence organisation formed in 1949. NATO is based on the Atlantic Treaty, which was signed by 12 countries. Today there are 26 member countries and the organisation collaborates with Russia.
OECD is an abbreviation for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. 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.
An educational association is an organisation that coordinates and manages education work, especially in connection with vocational education.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A public prosecutor represents the state in criminal cases tried by the high courts.
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.
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.
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.
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 reunification, 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.
Youth education counsellors (UU) can be contacted at special centres in your municipal authority. Here, people under 25 can seek educational advice and counselling.
To be remanded in custody simply means that a person who is suspected of having committed a crime is kept in prison.
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.
Colophon
Citizen in Denmark - a handbook for new citizens in Danish society.
Ministry for Refugees, Immigration & Integration Affairs
Holbergsgade 6
1057 Copenhagen K
Telephone: 33 92 33 80
E-mail: inm@inm.dk
The Ministry for Refugees, Immigration & Integration Affairs in collaboration with Commitment Kommunikation ApS. This information was correct at the date of going to print - 30 May 2007.
978-87-91850-01-1.
978-87-91850-41-7.
Danish language edition, August 2007.
13,000.
Annie Hagel in collaboration with the Ministry for Refugees, Immigration & Integration Affairs.
Commitment Kommunikation ApS Nitivej 10, 2000 Frederiksberg. Telephone: 70 22 07 10, E-mail: post@commitment-aps.dk.
Mark Gry Christiansen.
PrinfoHolbæk-Hedehusene A/S
Michael Daugaard.
Per Morten Abrahamsen: 134. Mark Andersen: 139. Lars Bahl: 31, 47, 52, 73, 93 and 129. Ole Christiansen: 8 and 142. Jacob Dall: 24. Michael Daugaard: Front and back page, 10, 15, 16, 27, 28, 32, 35, 36, 41, 44, 47, 49, 50, 51, 53, 55, 58, 63, 66, 68, 75, 77, 80, 82 88, 92, 94, 100, 104, 107, 109, 110, 112, 113, 115, 119, 122, 124, 126, 137, 140 and 148. Anne-Li Engström: 54. Per Folkver: 132. Linda Henriksen: 85. Sonja Iskov: 61. Ulrik Jantzen: 141. Stuart McIntyre: 120. Kissen Møller-Hansen: 60, 76, 79 and 130. Morten Nilsson: 20 and 96. Heine Pedersen: 127. Kristian Juul Pedersen: 13. Jørgen Schytte: 65, 72, 144 and 147. Niels Aage Skovbo: 83. Stig Stasig: 67. Søren Svendsen: 70. Mikkel Østergaard: 12, 18, 42, 87, 98, 101 and 138. Map of Denmark: Kampsax/Cowi: 11. Healthcare card: Danish Regions: 131.