Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

• Citizens non-Latvians might be allowed to change their ethnicity to “ethnic Latvian”
• Riga Latvian Society organises free-of-charge courses for non-citizens

Latvijas Avize reports about draft amendments which allow ethnic non-Latvians to change a record in the Population Register about their ethnicity to “ethnic Latvian”. According to the draft amendments, Latvian citizen who has resided in Latvia permanently during the last 15 years, is proficient in Latvian language for the highest level, feels belonging to Latvian culture and wants to strengthen the Latvian nation publicly has the right to change his/her ethnicity to “ethnic Latvian.” Authors of the draft amendments – the MPs of the Unity and the Reforms’ Party – believe ethnic identity of a person forms trough education and upbringing process, therefore a person who feels belonging to ethnic Latvian nation should have such option to change his/her officially registered ethnicity. The draft amendments do not envisage the option to register his/her minority ethnicity on the basis of self-identification. At present, Latvian residents are able to change one’s ethnicity based only on ethnic origin of relatives within two generations.

The Riga Latvian Society organises free-of-charge courses for Latvian non-citizens with an aim to prepare them for naturalisation. The courses include learning of Latvian language, learning about Latvian culture and other issues which could help to pass the naturalisation test successfully. Vesti Segodnya