Region of Eastern Denmark

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For the Danish linguistic region, see East Danish.
Region of Eastern Denmark
Region Østdanmark (Danish)
Region
Map
Coordinates: 55°30′N 12°00′E / 55.5°N 12°E / 55.5; 12
CountryDenmark
To be established1 January 2027
CapitalSorø
Largest cityCopenhagen
Municipalities
46
Area
[1]
 • Total
9,791 km2 (3,780 sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
WebsiteOfficial website

The Region of Eastern Denmark[2] (Danish: Region Østdanmark) is a future administrative region of Denmark to be formed on 1 January 2027 from the merger of the Capital Region of Denmark and Region Zealand. It will contain 46 municipalities, including Copenhagen, Denmark's capital and largest city. The regional headquarters will be located in Sorø, where the headquarters of Region Zealand are currently located.[3]

Geography and demographics

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The Region of Eastern Denmark includes all of Denmark east of the Great Belt, including the islands of Zealand, Amager, Lolland, Falster, Møn, Bornholm, and Ertholmene. To the west, Zealand is connected to the island of Funen in the Region of Southern Denmark via the Great Belt Fixed Link. To the east, Copenhagen is connected to Malmö, Sweden via the Øresund Bridge. To the south, the Fehmarn Belt fixed link from Lolland to the German island of Fehmarn is under construction.

In 2027, the Region of Eastern Denmark is projected to have a population of 2.78 million, corresponding to 46 percent of Denmark's population.[4] Over 530,000 people in the region are projected to be over 65 years of age.[5]

Creation and responsibilities

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The Region of Eastern Denmark was created as a result of the healthcare reforms approved by the Danish government on 15 November 2024.[6] The division of Zealand between two health regions led to an unequal distribution of health resources, which the merger aims to overcome.[3] The act establishing the new region was signed into law on 20 June 2025.[7]

Healthcare will be the main responsibility of the regional administration.[8] In 2025, healthcare expenditures accounted for over 95% of Danish regional budgets.[9] The region's responsibilities will include the management of hospitals, the integration of somatic and psychiatric care, and the planning and financing of primary care services delivered by general practitioners. The region will also be responsible for delivering specialized home nursing, rehabilitation, and local acute care, which are currently municipal responsibilities.[6]

Beyond healthcare, other responsibilities of the region will include providing social services for citizens with special needs; soil remediation and groundwater protection; mining; climate neutrality; youth and adult education; and regional bus and rail public transport in concert with Movia, the regional transit agency.[10] The municipality of Bornholm operates its own transit agency, BAT (Bornholms Amts Trafikselskab) [da].[11]

Health councils and municipalities

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Map of the municipalities of the Capital Region
Map of the municipalities of Region Zealand

To strengthen cooperation between the region and its municipalities, six health councils will be established, which consist of regional council members and municipal politicians. These health councils will replace the standing committees previously part of each regional council. Responsibility for the 46 municipalities in the region will be divided between the six health councils as follows:[12]

Hovedstaden:

Amager og Vestegnen:

København Omegn Nord:

Nordsjælland:

Østsjælland og Øerne:

Midt- og Vestsjælland:

Hospitals

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The Region of Eastern Denmark will manage the following hospitals, which have a total of 21 branches:[3][13]

The Region will also manage 14 psychiatric centres and departments.[13]

Regional council

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The regional council of Eastern Denmark will have 47 members. Its first regional council will be elected in November 2025. Before the new region comes into effect on 1 January 2027, the regional council of Eastern Denmark will act as a preparatory committee, while the existing Capital and Zealand regional councils will continue to handle their operational tasks through the end of 2026.[2][14]

References

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  1. ^ "ARE207: Area 1. January by region". Statbank Denmark. Statistics Denmark. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b "About the Region of Eastern Denmark". Capital Region of Denmark. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Aftale om sundhedsreform 2024" [Agreement on healthcare reform 2024] (PDF) (in Danish). Ministry of Interior and Health (Denmark). 15 November 2024. pp. 9–10. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Befolkning" (in Danish). Eastern Region of Denmark. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Udvalgte nøgletal for Region Hovedstaden og Region Sjælland" (in Danish). Eastern Region of Denmark. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  6. ^ a b Vrangbæk, Karsten; Jervelund, Signe Smith (25 November 2024). "A comprehensive mosaic reform to strengthen primary and chronic care capacity". European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  7. ^ "LOV nr 719 af 20/06/2025". Retsinformation (in Danish). 20 June 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Økonomi" (in Danish). Eastern Region of Denmark. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Accounts and budgets of regions". Statistics Denmark. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Om Region Østdanmark" (in Danish). Eastern Region of Denmark. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  11. ^ "Trafik" (in Danish). Eastern Region of Denmark. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  12. ^ "Region Østdanmarks politiske struktur" (in Danish). Eastern Region of Denmark. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Somatiske hospitaler og sygehuse" (in Danish). Eastern Region of Denmark. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  14. ^ "Region Østdanmark: En ny region i Danmark" (in Danish). Eastern Region of Denmark. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.