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.

• National Union: local deputies should improve their language skills at their own expenses

Latvijas Avize reports that according to the State Language Centre, the number of local governments’ deputies with insufficient state (Latvian) language proficiency has grown. According to the newspaper, at least six municipal deputies (four of them are from Daugavpils) have insufficient state language proficiency. The effective legal regulation provides for the highest level of the state language proficiency for the deputies. The local government can cover the expenses for state language courses if the deputy’s language skills are lower than required. However, the members of the National Union recently proposed to set a requirement that the deputies should improve their language skills at their own expenses.