TY - JOUR

T1 - “Please Sign Here”: Integration Contracts Between Municipalities and Foreigners in Denmark

AU - Adamo, Silvia

PY - 2022/3

Y1 - 2022/3

N2 - The Danish legal system comprises a series of integration measures adopted to increase the chances of integration for newly arrived foreigners. As a system put in place over two decades ago, it is based on the assumption that the law can play a key role in defining integration in a new country, and that municipalities are able to monitor its progress. This article offers an introduction to the rationale behind the adoption of these integration measures, the content of the contracts between immigrants and municipalities, their position in reference to other legal measures in force in the area of integration, and the consequences of the (non-)observance of the contracts. Organised as a well-developed and coherent system, the law tailors integration initiatives differently depending on the categories of foreigners included. However, a closer look, especially at the contracts, reveals that the integration initiatives are placed in a mixed territory of public and private law, where administrative law characteristics appear in contract terms. The legal implications of this placement are still unclear.

AB - The Danish legal system comprises a series of integration measures adopted to increase the chances of integration for newly arrived foreigners. As a system put in place over two decades ago, it is based on the assumption that the law can play a key role in defining integration in a new country, and that municipalities are able to monitor its progress. This article offers an introduction to the rationale behind the adoption of these integration measures, the content of the contracts between immigrants and municipalities, their position in reference to other legal measures in force in the area of integration, and the consequences of the (non-)observance of the contracts. Organised as a well-developed and coherent system, the law tailors integration initiatives differently depending on the categories of foreigners included. However, a closer look, especially at the contracts, reveals that the integration initiatives are placed in a mixed territory of public and private law, where administrative law characteristics appear in contract terms. The legal implications of this placement are still unclear.

U2 - 10.1007/s12134-021-00834-0

DO - 10.1007/s12134-021-00834-0

M3 - Journal article

VL - 23

SP - 321

EP - 342

JO - Journal of International Migration and Integration

JF - Journal of International Migration and Integration

SN - 1488-3473

IS - 1

ER -