Government proposes measures to reduce bureaucracy for organizations in Denmark

Organizations aiming to organize markets, concerts, or scout camps must currently navigate a complex web of permits for setting up tents, stages, and camping areas. Hiring a new coach for a children’s football team can take up to five days just to obtain a child safety verification, and establishing a bank account is both costly and complicated for these organizations. In response, the government has proposed eight measures to reduce bureaucracy and “regulatory tyranny” for local groups.

Cultural Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt expressed hopes of making volunteering easier and more enjoyable. The proposals include:

1. Partnership with stakeholders from the non-profit sector to recommend which rules and burdens should be eliminated.
2. Relaxation of building regulations to facilitate outdoor events.
3. Multi-year permits and annual events that eliminate the need for yearly applications.
4. Simplified GDPR rules for organizations, with efforts to ease these at the EU level.
5. A new digital solution for faster child safety verification.
6. Risk assessments for banks to alleviate burdens during customer due diligence processes related to anti-money laundering regulations.
7. A basic payment account for organizations to simplify banking.
8. Expanded work options for 13-14-year-olds, allowing them to assist coaches and leaders.

The current system can be burdensome; for instance, an organization once needed 38 different permits simply to organize a mud run. This has made many potential volunteers hesitant to participate due to the bureaucratic demands involved.

Minister Engel-Schmidt aims to have all proposals implemented within a year. However, he refrained from specifying a concrete timeline, emphasizing the need to discuss these initiatives with parliamentary parties first.