A European Commission staff working document published on 22 July 2026, as part of the 2026 Rule of Law Report, finds that Denmark maintains very high perceived judicial independence and low corruption, but recommends action on legal aid, revolving doors, lobbying rules, asset declarations, and access to documents.
The Commission's country chapter on Denmark, accompanying the broader 2026 Rule of Law Report, notes that 88% of the general public and 87% of companies rate judicial independence as 'fairly or very good' in 2026, up from 81% and 82% respectively in 2025. The justice system has received approximately EUR 308 million (DKK 2.3 billion) in additional funding under the 2024-2027 multi-year agreement, with 28 of 30 new judges placed and 40 deputy judges appointed. However, the Commission assesses limited progress on the legal aid review, which the Judicial Council is to complete by summer 2026. A court inquiry committee is to report on organisation, structure, and tasks by the beginning of 2027, and an IT project for criminal and probate cases is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Average case-handling time has decreased, though criminal case processing time slightly increased; the Administration of Justice Act was amended in 2026 to promote non-custodial alternatives and reduce pre-trial detention.
On anti-corruption, Denmark scores 89/100 on the 2025 Corruption Perception Index, ranking first in the EU and globally. A foreign bribery strategy is expected to be adopted in 2027, and a new police budget framework (2026-2030) allocates over EUR 130 million (DKK 1 billion) for economic crime investigators and prosecutors. However, the Commission notes no progress on rules for 'revolving doors' for ministers, lobbying, or adequate control of asset declarations for top executive functions, with no plans to introduce such rules. New rules ban donations from abroad to political parties, but broader reform of private funding rules has not yet been completed.
In media and civil society, a Media Ombudsman has been established, a new competence-based model for appointing Danmarks Radio's board has been introduced, and a new corporate strategy through 2030 is in place. Work on a revised Access to Public Administration Files Act is ongoing, but no legislative proposal has yet been tabled. A new funding model for civil society was agreed at political level in 2025.
completing the legal aid review, introducing integrity rules for ministers and lobbying, and advancing access to documents reform. The report does not carry binding force but serves as a monitoring tool for the EU's annual rule of law cycle, which may lead to country-specific recommendations from the Council later in the year.