German Bundesrat calls for inclusion of national minorities in the Basic Law

On 26 September, the German Bundesrat, on the initiative of the federal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Brandenburg and Saxony, adopted a resolution calling on the Federal Government to incorporate the four autochthonous national minorities and ethnic groups in Germany (the Danish minority, the Frisian ethnic group, the German Sinti and Roma, and the Lusatian Sorbs) in the Basic Law. For this purpose, Article 3 should be supplemented by the following sentence:

“The state respects the identity of the autochthonous minorities and ethnic groups that are recognised in Germany under the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.”

In the accompanying explanatory memorandum, the Bundesrat stresses that this does not create any new individual fundamental rights, but rather strengthens the collective protection of the linguistic and cultural identity of the recognised minorities and ethnic groups in Germany. At the same time, the amendment would send a clear signal both domestically and abroad – also in support of the German-speaking minorities in Eastern Europe.

The Minority Council of the four autochthonous national minorities and ethnic groups in Germany expressly welcomed the initiative in a statement and called on the Federal Government to now take concrete steps. The Chair of the Minority Council, Gitte Hougaard-Werner, stated: “After the initiative for an amendment to the Basic Law introduced by Schleswig-Holstein in 2019 was removed from the agenda, we are all the more pleased about the resolution now adopted. It is now up to the Federal Government to initiate implementation steps. For us as the Minority Council it is clear: the national minorities are an indispensable part of German history and culture. They deserve special protection and support, which must also be reflected in the Constitution.”

The resolution of the Bundesrat will now be forwarded to the Federal Government, which is free to decide whether and when to address the issue.

Further information on the resolution:

• Press release of the Bundesrat of 26.09.2025 (in German)

• Bundesrat printed matter 447/19, explanatory memorandum on the resolution (in German)

• Statement of the Minority Council of 26.09.2025 (in German)