30 years Bonn-Copenhagen Declaration - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1985 - 80 Pfennig

On the 30th anniversary of the Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations of 29th March 1955, the Danish Postal and Telegraph Administration and the Deutsche Bundespost issued special issue stamps. The stamp created by Professor Ernst Jünger, Munich, shows the German-Danish border area and the national flags of both countries. The current border between the two states is based on the results of popular referendums that were carried out in 1920 on the basis of the Versailles Treaty. The Danish and German minorities in the respective neighboring country are symbolized by dots on the stamp. The German minority in Nordschleswig today counts about 20,000 people and the Danish minority in southern Schleswig about 60,000. On March 29, 1955, Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and Danish Prime Minister Hans Christian Hansen issued the Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations on the Rights of Mutual Minorities. The content of the declarations of 1955 can be summarized as follows: 1. The confession of nationality and culture is free and may not be denied or reviewed ex officio. 2. Members of minorities and their organizations shall not be hindered in the use of spoken and written language. 3. In the case of grants and other public benefits, which are decided on the basis of discretion, members of the minorities may not be treated differently from other nationals. 4. The particular interest of minorities in cultivating their religious, cultural and professional links across borders is recognized. Particularly important in the Bonn-Copenhagen statements was and is the statement: German is who wants to be German; Dane is who wants to be Dane. Affiliation is therefore not enshrined or objectively determined by any criteria. The Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations made a significant contribution to a good neighborly relationship between Germans and Danes. They are still considered today as a model for the treatment of minority issues in Europe, where the principles of tolerance, liberality and reciprocity have found their concrete expression in the policies of two states. The declarations help to protect and strengthen people's personal freedom and make it easier for members of the minorities to be loyal citizens while preserving their individuality. The Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations set a signal for the new beginning of the partnership between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Denmark, which have proven themselves and are constantly being expanded. With this forward-looking act of mutual explanations, bridges were built at a time when there were still strong tensions in the border regions. Thanks to the good will of both states, the spirit of the Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations has brought the border area to life and enriched it with reciprocal cultural offerings. The diverse encounters across the border serve to solve concrete problems and better understand people. The Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations bear witness to the European spirit of understanding and the peaceful coexistence of human beings. (Text: Federal Ministry of the Interior, Federal Ministry for internal German relations, authorized representative of the country Schleswig-Holstein with the federation, Bonn)