Country report, gender equality : how are EU rules transposed into national law? : Denmark 2017

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, consisting of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are not members of the EU. The Danish judicial system is based on the traditions of civil law as in continental Europe and is more or less divided into private law and public law. In general, rules and legal principles are organised in a number of codes. The Danish labour market is to a very large extent covered by collective agreements. The collective agreements cover areas such as wages and parental leave rights. Collective agreements accordingly play a significant role in the legal landscape regarding work-related issues. The collective agreements must comply with the principle of non-discrimination. The system of courts has a unified structure. Thus, there are no special courts of law. Several specialised complaints boards are present under Danish law. In 2009 the Board of Equal Treatment was established. The board handles individual complaints on all grounds of discrimination. Decisions from the complaint board can be appealed to the courts. The administration of courts in Denmark is mainly regulated by the Administration of Justice Act. According to the Danish civil law tradition, written legislation is one important legal source. Court decisions are also considered important sources of law. In Denmark the Minister for Gender Equality is responsible for all activities in the field of gender equality and the ministry co-ordinates the equality work of other ministries.