Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 77

consisting of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Agency,
the Cadastral Survey, and the Geological Survey. It also has a Research
Institute and a small Environmental Assessment Institute.
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, nominally headed by Queen
Margrethe II. Its parliament is unicameral, with eight parties. Election is
by proportional representation, whereby a citizen votes for a party rather
than an individual member. Of the 175 seats, after the 2011 election the
Red Green Alliance held 12, but other parties supported the environment.
In the 2001 a Liberal-conservative coalition had come to power, replacing
the Social Democrats who were originally a labor party, but had moved
to a more general middle-class position. In spite of the name Liberal, the
party is quite conservative by European standards, advocating a tax freeze
and tight immigration control. Yet it favors strong environmental protec-
tion. The coalition won again in 2005 and 2007. This Liberal-led major-
ity is less favorable to the environment than its predecessor, led by the
Social Democrats. With many parties, no permanent coalition can be put
together, so majorities have to be put together for each vote.
From 1982 to 1993 environmental proposals had found support in par-
liament from the so-called Green Majority, which was not a permanent
majority. Fragmentation meant that the cabinet had to cobble together
majorities on particular votes. Members from the governing coalition
would entice members from the opposition parties to pass a single bill.
In 1993 the Social Democrats won the election which enabled them to
forge a majority with the Social Liberals, the Center Democrats and the
People's Party. Thus, most of the green-leaning parliamentarians were
in the same coalition. The minister for the environment declared that
“green issues would be the red thread of the government's policy.” 27
The country is divided into 14 counties and two cities: Copenhagen
and Frederiksberg. Its form is unitary rather than federal. Additionally,
Greenland and the Faeroe Islands are self-governing dependencies.
The Liberal-led coalition elected in 2001 and reelected four years later
had a mixed record. On the positive side, it pledged in its platform to pro-
tect the environment, demonstrating this commitment when Denmark
held the presidency of the European Union in 2004. This is the rotating
headship, during which it pushed the EU for stronger control of chemi-
cals; adopted new regulations on water, mining, and transporting waste;
and asked the commission staff in Brussels to set more ambitious goals.
After a long gestation, the new EU Environmental Agency began operat-
ing out of its headquarters in Copenhagen. The agency concerns itself with