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.

• Head of the Latvian Roma Association Normunds Rudevics proposes to build Roma villages in Latvia
• MP Iveta Grigule: Latvia might be obliged to accept 10,000 refugees every year
• Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the head of the Saeima’s faction of the Concord Centre Valerijs Agesins

Diena reports about an initiative of the head of the Latvian Roma Association, commissioner of the International Roma Union Normunds Rudevics of building Roma villages in Latvia. According to Mr Rudevics, the aim of such initiative is to solve the problems of Latvian Roma people through stimulating economic growth in regions. Mr Rudevics proposes to build at least four Roma villages and each of those would have several factories, about 50 houses for Roma families, culture house, places for leisure, administrative building, kindergarten, sports hall, and a store. Building one village would cost around 40 millions euros. For such purpose Mr Rudevics wants to attract funding of the European Commission’s Europe’s growth strategy “Europe2020.”

Vesti Segodnya reports that the European Commission (EC) proposed to pay the EU member countries EUR 6,000 for every refugee accepted. Member of the Saeima’s Committee on European Affairs, MP Iveta Grigule believes that such proposal is just a beginning. According to Mrs Grigule, presently, the EC works on elaboration of a number of new directives and regulations stipulating that the EU member states should obligatory within set quotas accept refugees from the Middle East and North African region. Mrs Grigule supposes that Latvia might be obliged to accept 10,000 refugees every year.

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the head of the Saeima’s faction of the Concord Centre Valerijs Agesins. Mr Agesins criticizes the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia saying that it splits the society and creates tension. Mr Agesins does not agree that the referendum on granting Russian language status of a state language in Latvia in February 2012 showed that there is a need to strengthen Latvian language because people who voted for Russian language as a state language most likely had different motivation to do so. According to Mr Agesins, it would be much more useful to conduct a research about the reasons which motivated part of Latvian citizens to vote for Russian language at the referendum and to hold the National Forum inviting simple people with different opinions to come together and decide what to do next and how to solve the problems.