ABSTRACT
The Danish constitution guarantees the counties and municipalities the right to govern their own affairs, under the supervision of the state. The Danish governmental system contains two sub-central levels; the municipalities and the counties. The municipalities are only to a minor degree subordinate to the counties. The county-municipalities relationship belongs to the intra-regional level, together with the other relationships within the county. Although the 'Law on the governance of municipalities' gives the regions (and the municipalities) great liberties in how to organize their administration, most county councils have organized the regional administration very much alike. The national socio-economic framework is dominated by the Damsh economy of negotiation. The chapter briefly discusses the concepts of Europeanization of the regional administrations and the regional councils. Awareness of European affairs has grown especially within the county administrations, but also in the councils of all counties, especially in those with an active policy of Europeanization.
