Public Administration, Civil Servants and Implementation

Abstract

This chapter examines how the Danish public administration responds to the European Union (EU). First, it does so first on a more general account in the EU policy cycle, but narrows the focus down to concern the role played when EU policies are implemented. Secondly it examines implementation of EU obligations within two policy areas; healthcare and environment. For both areas, the administrative autonomy to implement has been considerable, but depends on the political, judicial and societal checks and balances that the executive encounters when transposing EU obligations into national acts and practices. Furthermore, the analysis substantiates that whereas Danish compliance with EU obligations is high when it comes to formal transposition and official scoreboards, the sufficiency of implementation becomes contestable and deficits identifiable regarding practical application. De facto compliance depends on external checks and balances with administrative autonomy and the ability to scrutinize how the civil service interprets and acts upon its EU obligations.