regionerne

Regionerne, or Regionerne in Danish, are the five administrative regions of Denmark, established on January 1, 2007 as part of the Danish Structural Reform (strukturreformen). They replaced the former counties (amter) and are responsible for certain public services, notably health care, regional development, and coordination of the health sector within their geographic area. The five regions are the Capital Region of Denmark (Region Hovedstaden), Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland), North Denmark Region (Region Nordjylland), Region Zealand (Region Sjælland), and the Region of Southern Denmark (Region Syddanmark).

Governance is provided by a democratically elected regional council (regionråd) for each region. The council is elected for four-year terms by residents in the region, and it appoints a chair (regionsrådsformand) and an executive committee to manage day-to-day operations. The regions operate hospital networks, including major university and regional hospitals, and oversee psychiatric care; they cooperate with municipalities, universities, and the national government in planning and funding.

Financing comes mainly from central government grants and external funds, with additional revenue from service fees and investments. The regions collaborate on national health strategy, cross-regional planning, and data collection. The creation of the regions aimed to concentrate specialized medical services and streamline administration, while municipalities retain responsibility for most local services such as primary schooling, welfare, and social care.