bekendtgørelser

Bekendtgørelse (plural bekendtgørelser) is a form of secondary legislation in the Danish legal system. It consists of rules, orders, or notices issued by a government ministry or agency under authority granted by primary legislation (acts). Bekendtgørelser provide detailed provisions that implement, interpret, or elaborate on the broad rules established in a law and typically cover administrative procedures, technical standards, or regulatory requirements. They are binding and have the force of law.

Bekendtgørelser are published in the Danish Official Journal, Lovtidende, and specify when they come into force, sometimes with transitional rules. They can be general or sector-specific and are commonly used to operationalize statutes in areas such as taxation, health and safety, environment, education, and social affairs. They may also be revised or repealed by new bekendtgørelser following amendments to the underlying act.

In relation to the broader Danish legal framework, bekendtgørelser are subordinate legislation, meaning they must comply with higher law and cannot contradict an act. If an inconsistency arises, the higher act governs. A related term is lovbekendtgørelse, which is the codified text of a law itself; while the former describes detailed rules under a statute, the latter is the published form of the statute. The systematic use of bekendtgørelser allows Danish authorities to specify practical rules without passing a new act for every administrative detail.