Feb 17 2014

• Vesti Segodnya prints an article about the low rate of naturalisation in Latvia
• Riga City Council granted funding to eight projects on Latvian language courses

Vesti Segodnya prints an article about the low rate of naturalisation in Latvia. Presently, there are about 282,000 non-citizens or 13% of all population in Latvia. According to the head of the Naturalisation Board Igors Gorbunovs, the naturalisation rate is stabile and low for past seven years. During 2013 the naturalisation rate dropped even more – only 1939 applications were submitted (in previous years there were about 2-3 thousands application per year). However, the number of non-citizens decreases by about 20,000 every year not only due to naturalisation but also because the non-citizens die, emigrate or choose citizenship of another country. Integration expert Deniss Hanovs believes that it is important to make Latvian citizenship more attractive in terms of benefits people can gain from it. Representative of the Congress of Non-Citizens Elizabete Krivcova believes that it would be useful to make naturalisation exams easier for older people. Mrs Krivcova also believes that the governing parties are not interested in solving problem of non-citizenship.

The Education, Culture and Sports Department of the Riga City Council granted funding in amount of EUR 114,783 to eight projects on Latvian language courses. The courses will be available to about 1,200 Riga residents who want to gain A and B state language proficiency level, excluding schools students and unemployed persons.