Bill proposal aims to strengthen oversight of Denmark’s shelter capacity

A new bill proposal, recently put up for public consultation, aims to provide authorities with better means to assess the capacity of shelter spaces in Denmark and enhance the management of the sector. This proposal follows a review of regulations initiated by the Minister for Social Security and Preparedness in May 2025.

The purpose of the bill proposal is to improve authorities’ access to information regarding shelter spaces and consequently enhance the overall preparedness of society. According to the proposal, new reporting obligations and centralization of decision-making authority regarding shelter space requirements will allow for a more targeted approach.

-“In May 2025, I initiated a review of the regulations in the shelter space sector. With this new bill proposal, we will have better means to control the development of capacity – including through new reporting obligations and centralization of the ability to enforce shelter space requirements. This is intended to ensure that authorities have the necessary information about shelter space capacity – which should also help improve communication with the public,” says Minister for Social Security and Preparedness, Torsten Schack Pedersen.

The bill proposal entails, among other things, that the minister takes over municipalities’ authority to impose shelter space requirements, and provides a legal basis to instruct municipalities to establish new public shelters if it is deemed necessary for civilian preparedness reasons. Clearer rules for maintenance and inspection are also proposed for both municipalities and building owners.

Moving forward, the Agency for Social Security will be responsible for overseeing municipalities’ compliance with regulations in this area. The aim of the bill proposal is to establish a more uniform and effective administration of the shelter space sector in Denmark.