The border between Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark is barely noticeable: many people speak German and Danish. According to estimates, around 50,000 members of the Danish minority with German citizenship live in Germany’s northernmost federal state. Well organized, they form a bridge to our neighbor Denmark.

They live in the border town of Flensburg, the districts of Schleswig-Flensburg and Nordfriesland and in the northern part of the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde. The Danish minority refers to its settlement area as South Schleswig. Conversely, a German minority lives in North Schleswig in the Kingdom of Denmark.

Thanks to a large number of strong and independent organizations, the Danish minority can live its values and traditions. The Sydslesvigsk Forening (SSF) – the South Schleswig Association – is the main cultural organization. With its own party, the Südschleswigscher Wählerverband (SSW), the Danish minority is currently represented by four MPs in the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament and, since the 2021 federal elections, also by one non-attached MP in the German Bundestag.

“European policy is minority policy”

The Danish minority believes it is important that everyone is granted the freedom to choose their nationality and culture. This choice should be respected as a fundamental democratic principle in accordance with the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Thus the Danish minority postulates: “European policy is minority policy and minority policy is European policy”.

> Specific minority legislation and measures