Denmark has given the construction sector the responsibility to deliver on some of our biggest political objectives: the climate goals, the housing challenge, climate adaptation and critical infrastructure.

Construction and civil engineering employs more than 200.000 people and annual turnover of 350 billionThis is also why the sector plays a central and strategic role in Danish society.

But we have not given the construction sector a unified political leadership.

Today, responsibility is spread across eight ministries. This means that no minister has overall responsibility for whether the rules are coherent, whether the priorities support each other, or whether we do things in the most appropriate and efficient way.

The result is all too often conflicting demands, slow decision-making processes, lack of integrated thinking and inefficient use of billions in public and private investments.

We cannot ignore the construction industry.

The main task of the construction industry is to be responsible for Denmark's physical framework and is not only an economic engine, but also a crucial tool for the realization of our common ambitions within green transition, urban and housing development, and critical infrastructure.

For example, this means tackling rising housing prices in large cities, where the construction of more housing is necessary if urbanization and social mobility are to be a real possibility for everyone.

The construction sector accounts for a very significant part of Denmark's climate impact and resource consumption. According to analyses, construction accounts for around 30 percent of Denmark's total CO2 emissions and around 35 percent of all waste production. If Denmark's ambitious climate goals are to be achieved, the industry plays a crucial role.

It is also companies and employees from the construction industry who must ensure that our coastlines are climate-proof, expand sewers, and secure our everyday lives and homes in a world where extreme climate events are becoming more frequent and more frequent.

In addition, the industry builds critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, railways and hospitals and carries out the necessary renovation, transformation and energy efficiency improvements of schools, kindergartens, nursing homes, factory buildings, office spaces and so on.

In other words, the construction industry cannot be ignored in terms of solving a wide range of major challenges facing our society: green and sustainable transition, housing shortage, land scarcity, water management, mobility problems, congestion, and so on.

Too important to be spread out

This requires coordination, training and upgrading of employee skills to a completely different extent than we are used to.

It is therefore a major challenge that the sector is currently regulated across eight ministries without clear overall coordination.

The Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing, the Ministry of Urban Affairs, Agriculture and Church Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Business and Industry and the Ministry of Taxation are responsible for matters relating to the construction industry.

Lack of coordination risks preventing the construction sector from realizing its full potential as a driving force for the implementation of Denmark's climate goals, our sustainability ambitions and long-term economic growth.

Therefore, after the next election, a clear decision should be made to consolidate responsibility. Fewer ministries. Clearer political anchoring.

Ideally, Denmark should have a proper ministry for construction, civil engineering and housing under the leadership of a Minister of Construction and Housing.

The construction sector is too important to be spread across the desks of eight ministries.

This debate post was published in Altinget City and Housing on March 17, 2026, and was written by Christian Jarby from Green Transition Denmark, Lars Storr-Hansen from Danish Ark, Linda Nordstrøm The Santa Claus from Technique, Katrine Bjerre Milling Eriksen from Danish Business, Palle Thomsen from Danish Construction Centers, Soren Sand Kirk from Danish Construction Trades, Oda Hustad from The Council for Sustainable Construction, Mikael Koch from Tree information, Lennart Ostergaard from VELTEK and Jette Leth Fejerskov Djælund from The Danish Designers' Association.