German Sinti and Roma
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Lusation Sorbs
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Sater Frisians
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East Frisians
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Danish Minority
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North Frisians
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Which
minorities do we represent?

Germany is home to four recognised autochthonous national minorities and ethnic groups: the Danish minority, the Frisian ethnic group, the German Sinti and Roma and the Lusatian Sorbs. The Minority Council and Minority Secretariat represent the common interests of these four minorities in political life and the public sphere. 

Autochthonous national minorities and ethnic groups are distinct from immigrants (also known as allochtonous/new minorities), who have not traditionally lived in Germany.

Minority
Secretariat

The Minority Secretariat was founded in Berlin in 2005. It assumes the secretariat function for the Minority Council in its daily work, and functions as the Council’s interface to the federal government, the two houses of the German Parliament (Bundestag and Bundesrat) and the Council of Europe. The Minority Secretariat also informs the public, institutions, and political stakeholders about the four autochthonous national minorities and ethnic groups of Germany and their current issues.

Minority Council

The Minority Council represents the common political interests of the four autochthonous national minorities and ethnic groups of Germany in dealings with the federal government and the two houses of the German Parliament, the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The Minority Council is supported in its daily work by the Minority Secretariat in Berlin.

Key priorities

Key priorities in the safeguarding of interests of the four recognised minorities are securing continuous political representation and fulfilling applicable obligations of protection in Germany as stipulated in minorities law. Furthermore, active information and public relations work is intended to make people aware of the concerns of minorities. Read more about current priorities in minorities work here.

Partners, interest groups and supporters

Here you can find contact information on our partners, interest groups, supporters and groups and societies of the respective minorities and ethnic groups associated with the Minority Council.

Legal framework

There exist numerous international agreements and national regulations for the protection of national minorities. German, European, and international law stipulate provisions affording equal protection to all national minorities and ethnic groups living in Germany, along with their languages and the Low German regional language. These general regulations do not differ in applicability from one group to another.