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Overview 

Political system

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. It has a representative parliamentary system with a prime minister, who is the head of government, and a monarch, who is the head of state but whose duties are strictly representative and ceremonial. The kingdom also comprises 2 autonomous constituent countries in the Atlantic, neither of which are EU members: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. 

Trade and economy

Denmark ranks fourth in the European Union in terms of GDP per capita with €48 000, well above the EU average (€37 600). It accounts for 2.2% of the EU's total GDP.  

(Source: Eurostat - figures for GDP per capita and GDP)   

(Source: Eurostat - figures for exports and imports)   

Denmark in the EU  

Budgets and funding

How does Denmark benefit from the EU budget?

The EU budget is the tool to ensure that Europe remains a democratic, peaceful, prosperous and competitive force. The EU uses it to finance its priorities and big projects that most individual EU countries could not finance on their own.    

The benefits of EU membership significantly exceed the size of the EU budget contributions and the examples are many. All Member States benefit from being part of the Single Market, a shared approach to the common challenges of migration, terrorism and climate change, and concrete gains like better transport infrastructure, modernised and digitalised public services and cutting-edge medical treatment.   

How much each EU country pays into the EU budget is calculated fairly. The larger your country's economy, the more it pays – and vice versa.  

The EU budget is not about giving and taking – it’s about collectively contributing to making Europe and the world a better place for us all.    

EU budget spending and revenue per country and per year  

EU-funded projects in Denmark   

Money from the EU budget helps fund programmes and projects in all EU countries – for example to build roads, subsidise researchers and protect the environment.   

Find out more about how Denmark benefits from EU funding and recovery funds in your country or region.