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.

30 August 2013

 

• The Ministry of Culture imposed 15% restriction on Latvian non-citizens attending integration courses funded by the EU

 

Vesti Segodnya received a complaint from a non-citizen of Latvia who was refused participation in the integration courses conducted by the Riga Latvian Society and funded by the EU. The courses envisage intensive training 3-4-5 hours daily, provide learning of Latvian language learning, the history and the Constitution of Latvia, employ modern learning methods and include specialist consultations. According to the Project Director Lauma Celma, the Riga Latvian Society developed the whole programme and successfully obtained the necessary EU funding 140,000 LVL (199,203 EUR) (the European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals). The Riga Latvian Society also issued Latvian vocabulary with fairytales, illustrated naturalisation brochures, and brought participants to the birthplace of Karlis Ulmanis. Non-citizens participating in the programme were really motivated and the programme got appraisal by the Saeima. However, recently, the Ministry of Culture imposed a new rule, whereby non-citizens can represent no more than 15% of the participants. Lauma Celma is perplexed by the decision, as the Ministry of Culture did not discuss the measure with the Riga Latvian Society and did not try to explain or justify before imposing it. According to the Director of the Integration Department of the Ministry of Integration Anita Kleinberga, initially, the EU funds were envisioned only for third country nationals, who spent less then 5 years in Latvia and therefore the Ministry introduced the 15% restriction on non-citizens; otherwise, the European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals could interpret participation of Latvian non-citizens as a violation and request Latvia to return the funding. Lauma Celma of the Riga Latvian Society is not convinced by the 15% arguments, because she herself studied the EU requirements; moreover, the Ministry did not object to the non-citizens participating in 2011 and also earlier this year; since then, nothing changed at the EU – the Ministry has changed its mind. Lauma Celma asks if the non-citizens who filled the two groups quickly within two days should be turned down now. Representative of Latvian Human Rights Committee Vladimirs Buzaevs highlighted that the EU does not have a consistent understanding about the problem of Latvia's non-citizens: for some purposes these people are portrayed as foreigners third country nationals, for other purposes – as stateless persons etc. The concerned non-citizen wonders if Latvia discriminates against its own non-citizens treating them worse than it treats third country nationals.