German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck becomes patron of EUROPEADA

The European Football Championship of the autochthonous national minorities gets support from the big political stage: Robert Habeck (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection as well as Vice Chancellor, will be the patron of EUROPEADA 2024 in the German-Danish borderland.

"The German-Danish borderland is a model region when it comes to how living together in diversity and cross-border friendship can take place and be shaped. That is why I am very pleased to be the patron of the upcoming European Minority Football Championship 'Europeada' 2024, which will take place in our vibrant border region. A great sporting event that stands for cohesion and brilliantly reflects the European spirit," says Habeck.

Born in Lübeck, Habeck resides in Flensburg, where he began his political career in 2002. From 2009 to 2018, he was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament, where he most recently served as Minister for Energy Transition, Agriculture, Environment, Nature and Digitalisation. After moving to the Green Party chair in Berlin, he was elected to the Bundestag in 2021 as a member of parliament for constituency 1 (Flensburg). There he leads the Ministry of Economics and Climate.

"The fact that Robert Habeck, one of Germany's best-known politicians, is the patron of EUROPEADA 2024 is a great stroke of luck for us," says FUEN Vice-President Gösta Toft. "He knows the borderland and the minorities and is committed to a homeland with zero exclusion. This strengthens our objective of cultural diversity. In addition, he is very well known for being able to mobilise energy reserves - this is also of high importance for EUROPEADA."

The 5th EUROPEADA will take place from 28 June to 7 July 2024 under the motto "Between the seas", parallel to the UEFA European Championship in Germany (14 June to 14 July). The quartet of organisers consists of the four minorities in the German-Danish borderland: the Frisian minority, the Sinti and Roma, the German minority in North Schleswig, Denmark, and the Danish minority in Sydslesvig, Germany. The latter takes over the main organisation in the form of the specially founded EUROPEADA gGmbH in Flensburg/Flensborg, Germany.

Background

FUEN is the founder and coordinator of the tournament and organises EUROPEADA together with the local organisers. Previously, the European Minority Football Championship was held in Graubünden/Switzerland (2008), Lausitz/Germany (2012), South Tyrol/Italy (2016) and Carinthia/Koroška, Austria (2022). The tournament is a major sporting event that combines fair competition and the excitement of a sports festival with the matters of the autochthonous, national minorities.

Photocredit: BMWK / Dominik Butzmann