About NCP Denmark

NCP Denmark is the Danish National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines. 

It is an independent institution mandated by the Danish Government to provide information about the OECD Guidelines and to act as a non-judicial grievance mechanism, contributing to the resolution of complaints related to the subjects covered by the OECD Guidelines.

What is a National Contact Point

The Danish government has appointed a National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines as part of Denmark’s obligations as an adherent  to these guidelines. The OECD Guidelines are a leading international standard for responsible business conduct and outline adherent governments’ expectations of enterprises on how they should address their impacts on people, the planet, and society. As of 2025, there are 52 NCPs worldwide - you can find more information about them here. 

The OECD Guidelines apply to multinational enterprises across all sectors, sizes, and ownership structures, and address key areas of business responsibility, ranging from climate change and the environment to technology, corruption, human rights, and labour standards.

The purpose of NCPs is to further the effectiveness of the OECD Guidelines. To do this, the NCPs will:

  • Promote and inform about the OECD Guidelines.
  • Serve as a non-judicial grievance mechanism and contribute to the resolution of issues that arise relating to the implementation of the OECD Guidelines. 

Additionally, where appropriate and in coordination with relevant government agencies, NCPs may also support their governments in developing, implementing, and fostering the coherence of policies to promote responsible business conduct.

What is NCP Denmark

NCP Denmark consists of five members appointed by the Danish Government: a chairperson, an expert member, and three members nominated by the Confederation of Danish Industry, the Danish Trade Union Confederation, and the Danish 92-Group (a coalition of Danish NGOs), respectively. They are supported by a Secretariat within the Danish Business Authority, which operates under the Danish Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs.

NCP Denmark's mandate

NCP Denmark was established by law in 2012 as the Danish mediation and complaints-handling institution for responsible business conduct.  

NCP Denmark is an independent institution mandated to handle complaints concerning alleged failures to observe the OECD Guidelines by enterprises, authorities, or organisations that are Danish or have a presence in Denmark. “Failure to observe” refers to instances where an enterprise, authority, or organisation does not operate in accordance with the recommendations of the OECD Guidelines. Observance of the OECD Guidelines is voluntary.

Subject to applicable law (the Danish NCP Act), NCP Denmark is authorised to handle complaints related to conduct that has occurred in Denmark or that concerns Danish private or public enterprises, authorities, or organisations, including their business relationships. NCP Denmark’s mandate also authorises it to initiate cases on its own motion, where appropriate.

To resolve issues related to the implementation of the OECD Guidelines, NCP Denmark may offer mediation to the parties or carry out an investigation to determine whether a responding entity has observed the OECD Guidelines. As a non-judicial grievance mechanism, NCP Denmark may offer recommendations but cannot make enforceable decisions on remedies or compensation for impacted parties, nor can it legally enforce the implementation of its recommendations.

As an independent institution, NCP Denmark’s handling of complaints is not subject to political influence or directives. In NCP cases, the Secretariat operates under the instructions of NCP Denmark and files cases separately from the rest of the Danish Business Authority to ensure independence and confidentiality. 

NCP Denmark's own motion cases

Members of NCP Denmark may propose that a case concerning potential non-observance of the OECD Guidelines be handled on NCP Denmark’s own motion. 

If NCP Denmark takes up a case on its own motion, it must examine the case at every step of the proceedings to the extent necessary to conclude the given step. 

How does NCP Denmark operate

NCP Denmark operates in accordance with the core effectiveness criteria as set out for NCPs in the OECD Guidelines.

Below you can read how each of these criteria informs the operation of NCP Denmark.

NCPs should be easily identifiable and should inform about their work. NCP Denmark’s website includes the most up-to-date information about NCP Denmark, its institutional arrangement, members, case-handling procedures, and more.  NCP Denmark is also active on LinkedIn.

NCPs should be easily accessible, should respond to all legitimate requests for information and handle complaints in an efficient and timely manner.

It is free of charge to submit a complaint with NCP Denmark. The requirements for NCP Denmark to process a complaint are available on its website, together with a complaint form that may be used to submit a complaint.

As a rule, complaints can be submitted in English or Danish. For other languages, please contact the Secretariat to discuss the possibilities for translation and interpretation.
In cases where a party requests support to safeguard their interests, NCP Denmark may appoint and pay for a representative or adviser.

As a general principle, the activities of the NCP will be transparent. Nonetheless, in specific instances, the NCP may establish confidentiality for certain aspects of the proceedings.

The Danish Access to Public Administration Files Act, ensures transparency in public administration by granting the public the right of access to documents held by public authorities, subject to the exceptions provided in the Act. This includes administrative documents relating to the handling of complaints as well as decisions made by NCP Denmark. Information may be exempt from access where this is necessary to protect individuals’ personal or financial circumstances. Additionally, information concerning commercial matters may, under certain conditions, be exempt from public access.

Cases handled by NCP Denmark are subject to the Access to Public Administration Files Act once the case proceedings are concluded. However, according to the Danish NCP Act, this does not apply to cases that are dismissed following an initial assessment or if the parties resolve the matter themselves, thereby concluding the case.

As part of the case-handling process, NCP Denmark publishes a statement when concluding a preliminary investigation, mediation, an investigation, or a follow-up. 

NCP Denmark publishes its case-handling procedures and minutes from its meetings (in Danish), though not from discussions of complaints, as the cases are exempt from public access until the proceedings are concluded. 

NCPs will account for their activities. NCP Denmark produces an annual report (in Danish), which is published on its website and shared with the Danish Business Authority. NCP Denmark is also subject to periodic peer reviews through the NCP Network.

There is no formal statutory right of appeal regarding cases handled by NCP Denmark. However, if you wish to complain about NCP Denmark’s case-handling process, you may contact:

The Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs
Slotsholmsgade 10-12
DK-1216 Copenhagen K
E-mail: em@em.dk 

Alternatively, you may submit a complaint to:

The Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman 
Gammeltorv 22
DK-1457 København K
E-mail: post@ombudsmanden.dk 

NCPs will be organised in a way that allows them to act and be perceived as impartial and equitable. This is a prerequisite for maintaining the confidence of stakeholders, parties to a complaint, and the general public.

NCP Denmark seeks to ensure that the parties can engage in the process on fair and equitable terms. All parties are given reasonable access to sources of information relevant to the issue and procedures. NCP Denmark seeks to facilitate access and participation in a manner sensitive to language and literacy, cultural constraints, and logistical or practical limitations.

With respect to sharing information between parties in a complaint, NCP Denmark will ensure that parties are aware of all relevant facts and arguments presented during the proceedings. In line with the Danish Public Administration Act, NCP Denmark must ensure that each party is aware of the essential information that may affect the case—primarily information that may be disadvantageous to them. Relevant information is shared with the concerned party when it is necessary to uphold the right to be heard.

If a party requests that information not be shared in full, NCP Denmark will make a specific assessment of whether considerations of confidentiality—such as the protection of trade secrets or the risk of reprisals—justify withholding the information either wholly or partially. In such cases, NCP Denmark will strive to share the information in an edited or anonymised form to ensure that the obligation to uphold the right to be heard is fulfilled on a sound basis.

In cases where a party requests support to safeguard their interests, NCP Denmark may appoint and fund a representative or adviser.

NCP Denmark ensures impartiality and addresses potential or perceived conflicts of interest in relation to case handling. This also applies to individuals engaged by the NCP to mediate and assist the parties in resolving cases. The NCP is subject to the impartiality provisions of the Danish Public Administration Act and has established a procedure for addressing conflicts of interest in NCP Denmark’s Rules of Procedure (available on NCP Denmark’s website).

NCPs will provide clear and publicly available information on their role and the procedures they follow in fulfilling their responsibilities.

The role and procedures of NCP Denmark are set out in the Danish NCP Act and the NCP Executive Order and are further explained in the Rules of Procedure and the case-handling procedures. NCP Denmark strives to ensure predictability by providing clear and publicly accessible information about all the steps of its case-handling procedures, including indicative timeframes. If indicative timeframes need to be extended, NCP Denmark will inform the parties in a timely manner to ensure that the case-handling procedures remain predictable.

NCPs should operate in a way that is compatible with the OECD Guidelines. When handling complaints, this notably means working with the parties to avoid any situation where agreements are contrary to the OECD Guidelines.

NCP Denmark’s case-handling procedures are developed based on the Implementation Procedures of the OECD Guidelines. However, subject to applicable law (the Danish NCP Act), certain steps of NCP Denmark’s case-handling procedures may deviate from the Implementation Procedures.

NCP Denmark may seek assistance from the OECD Secretariat for Responsible Business Conduct on matters related to the interpretation of the OECD Guidelines in specific circumstances.

Expectations of cooperation in good faith from the parties 

NCP Denmark expects the parties in a case to participate in good faith. This means that the parties demonstrate a genuine commitment to finding solutions to the issues raised and consider any offer of dialogue and mediation made by the NCP to resolve the issues. 

Good faith engagement in this context also means:

  • Responding in a timely manner,
  • Maintaining confidentiality where appropriate and not disclosing information publicly or to a third party, during or after the proceedings unless the sharing party agrees to its disclosure, or such facts and arguments are already in the public domain,
  • Refraining from misrepresenting the issues and the process, particularly in public communications, and
  • Refraining from threatening or taking reprisals against parties involved in the procedure, or against the NCP itself.

The threat or use of any reprisals against a party involved in the proceedings, external mediators, or employees of the NCP during or after the conclusion of the proceedings is impermissible.

Throughout the case-handling process, NCP Denmark will take all appropriate steps within its capacity to address risks of reprisals against parties to a complaint. To identify potential risks of reprisals, NCP Denmark will proactively ask parties in a complaint about possible concerns regarding reprisals. If NCP Denmark becomes aware of an actual or potential instance of reprisal, the NCP will, to the extent possible, support the party concerned in avoiding and mitigating any harm, as well as contact relevant authorities.

The protection of submitters and other related parties is a shared responsibility. NCPs are not enforcement bodies, and their capacity to protect submitters is limited. Any response to risks of reprisals will be taken with the informed consent of those at risk.

Do you have any questions?

Contact the Secretariat of NCP Denmark 

NCP Danmark
Langelinie Allé 17
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Denmark

Email: post@ncp-danmark.dk
Phone: +45 3529 1000