Denmark Supreme Court Reviews Ethnic Discrimination Housing Law

The Supreme Court of Denmark is hearing a legal challenge brought by seven families from Helsingør who claim their leases were wrongfully terminated due to ethnic discrimination. The families were evicted in 2022 under a 2018 law that requires social housing estates to renovate and shift their social mix if more than 50 percent of residents are non-Western. To avoid being labeled as transformation areas, formerly known as hard ghettos, estates must ensure at least 60 percent of homes are rented at market rates by 2030.

The Government of Denmark maintains the legislation is a necessary tool to combat segregation and parallel societies. While lower courts previously ruled in favor of the landlord, Boliggården, the plaintiffs argue the criteria specifically target non-Western inhabitants in violation of the Equal Treatment Act.

This case follows a December 2025 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which deferred the decision on whether the law is discriminatory to the Danish judicial system. Tenants' associations estimate that 11,000 people across the country will be displaced by 2030 to comply with the law.