Celebration of 25 years of minority protection in the constitution of Schleswig-Holstein

For Prime Minister Torsten Albig minority policy is more contemporary than ever. “Schleswig-Holstein is the first German land with its own language policy for its regional and minority languages”, he said in Kiel on 29 June.

An amendment to the constitution cleared the way for a minority policy that many in Europe today consider as a model. “In 1990 the Danish and Frisian minorities were included in our constitution. From then on, our land recognises not just the right of the national minorities to choose freely to be treated or not to be treated as such. The former Article 5 – now Article 6 – also guarantees protection and support”, said Albig. In 2012 Schleswig-Holstein extended the protection of the constitution to the minority of the German Sinti and Roma, the first land to do this in Germany.

Today the Action Plan for Language Policy of the land of Schleswig-Holstein provides for stronger protection of the minority languages Danish, Frisian and Romanes and also for the regional language of Low German. “These languages are part of our cultural identity”, said the Prime Minister. It is important that these new policies are not pursued with the minorities only. The government of Schleswig-Holstein expects wide support in the regional parliament. Albig: “Good minority policy is only possible where majority and minority work together and consider one another as partners.”

Source: www.schleswig-holstein.de 

Photo: Prime Minister Torsten Albig and Minority Commissioner Renate Schnack with FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen at the FUEN Congress 2014 in Sønderborg, Denmark.