{"id":8769,"date":"2022-08-10T11:26:16","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T09:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.minderheitensekretariat.de\/specific-minority-legislation-and-measures\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T13:24:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T12:24:50","slug":"specific-minority-legislation-and-measures","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.minderheitensekretariat.de\/en\/specific-minority-legislation-and-measures\/","title":{"rendered":"Specific minority legislation and measures"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"8769\" class=\"elementor elementor-8769 elementor-2778\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7f0a0adb elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-content-top elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7f0a0adb\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;gradient&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-36e613fb\" data-id=\"36e613fb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-89bf144 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"89bf144\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-3c48b375\" data-id=\"3c48b375\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e59c63c elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"4e59c63c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7601e7eb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7601e7eb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>Specific minority legislation and measures <\/b> <b>in the federal states<\/b><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-1bc6663f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1bc6663f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-2daed429\" data-id=\"2daed429\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-72957c47 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"72957c47\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"more\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-443e33bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"443e33bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>And finally, there are also specific minority legislation and measures in European and German law. In Germany, the constitutions of the federal Lands are more generous towards the minorities than the German Basic Law is.<\/p>\n<p><b>Danish minority<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Danes are explicitly protected by the Constitution of Schleswig-Holstein. Furthermore they receive specific protection because of the Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations. In 1955, Germany and Denmark both issued government declarations: Germany recognised the Danish minority that is living in Germany and at the same time the Denmark recognised the German minority that is living on Danish territory. The declarations recognise the freedom to choose whether or not someone considers him- or herself to belong to a minority (freedom of affiliation). The declarations also reaffirm the equality of all citizens. The two countries agreed to an additional declaration about financial support for the respective minority in the German-Danish border region.<\/p>\n<p>The Schleswig-Holstein Election Code contains privileges for the parties of the Danish minority, similar to the Federal Election Law. This means that the so-called five percent clause, according to which only parties that receive at least five percent of the second votes or have won a direct mandate in at least one constituency are considered in state elections, does not apply to the parties of the Danish minority in Schleswig-Holstein.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h6><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wahlrecht.de\/doku\/doku\/19550329.htm\">Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations (German)<\/a><\/span><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssw.de\/die-partei\/geschichte\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">History of the S\u00fcdschleswigscher W\u00e4hlerverband (SSW) \u2013 the South Schleswig Voters\u2019 Association (German)<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><br \/>Frisians<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Frisians are explicitly protected by the constitution of Schleswig-Holstein. In 2004 the Schleswig-Holstein parliament (Landtag) adopted the so-called Frisian Law that provides support for and protects the Frisian language and culture.<\/p>\n<p>It recognises the Frisian language forms and their free use and guarantees the specific rights of the Frisians, e.g. to use Frisian in contacts with the authorities or the use of bilingual place-name signs.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h6><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gesetze-rechtsprechung.sh.juris.de\/jportal\/portal\/t\/9ld\/page\/bsshoprod.psml?pid=Dokumentanzeige&amp;showdoccase=1&amp;js_peid=Trefferliste&amp;documentnumber=1&amp;numberofresults=1&amp;fromdoctodoc=yes&amp;doc.id=jlr-FriesischGSH2004rahmen&amp;doc.part=X&amp;doc.price=0.0&amp;doc.hl=1#focuspoint\">Law to support Frisian in the public sphere (Frisian Law) (German)<\/a><\/span><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h6><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.minderheitensekretariat.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20140101_FR_rechtsgrundlagen.pdf\">Overview of legal provisions relevant for the Frisian minority in Germany (German)<\/a><\/span><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><br \/>Lusatian Sorbs<\/b><\/p>\n<h6>The Sorbs are explicitly protected firstly by a protocol note to the German Unification Treaty and secondly by the laws of the Lands of Brandenburg and the Free State of Saxony, where the minority is living.<\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h6><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.minderheitensekretariat.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Einigungsvertrag_1990.pdf\">Protocol note to the German Unification Treaty (German)<\/a><\/span><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h6><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.revosax.sachsen.de\/vorschrift\/3019-Saechsisches-Sorbengesetz\">Law on the Rights of the Sorbs in the Free State of Saxony (S\u00e4chsisches Sorbengesetz &#8211; S\u00e4chsSorbG, German)<\/a><\/span><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h6><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bravors.brandenburg.de\/gesetze\/swg\">Law on the Rights of the Sorbs\/Wends in the Land of Brandenburg (Sorben\/Wenden-Gesetz &#8211; SWG, German)<\/a><\/span><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/www.minderheitensekretariat.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/rechtsvorschriften.pdf\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Further legal provision (German)<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><br \/>German Sinti and Roma<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The amendment to the constitution of the state of Schleswig-Holstein in November 2012 gave German Sinti and Roma explicit protection in a federal state for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>In November 2013 the Prime Minister of Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg and the Chair of the regional association of German Sinti and Roma signed a state agreement. This contains a clear commitment to the recognition of Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg&#8217;s Sinti and Roma and stipulates binding support for the minority.<\/p>\n<p>Further (framework) agreements under public law exist between different regional governments and the regional associations of German Sinti and Roma in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Bremen. There is a similar \u201cJoint Declaration\u201d in Bavaria, where based a decision by the regional parliament (Landtag) currently negotiations are taking place about an state agreement under public law.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Specific minority legislation and measures in the federal states And finally, there are also specific minority legislation and measures in European and German law. In Germany, the constitutions of the federal Lands are more generous towards the minorities than the German Basic Law is. Danish minority The Danes are explicitly protected by the Constitution of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8769","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Specific minority legislation and measures - Minderheitensekretariat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.minderheitensekretariat.de\/en\/specific-minority-legislation-and-measures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Specific minority legislation and measures - Minderheitensekretariat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Specific minority legislation and measures in the federal states And finally, there are also specific minority legislation and measures in European and German law. 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