• State Language Centre (SLC) decided to announce repeated call for public assistants

Latvijas Avize reports that the State Language Centre (SLC) decided to announce repeated call for public assistants due to low number of applications. The requirements for the applicants also have become lower. Thus, the applicants are not required anymore to have master’s degree in philology or humanities, but only to have university degree. According to the Ministry of Justice, it was planned to attract 100 public assistants half of whom would start work this year. However, the SLC has received only 4 applications so far. As reported, it is planned that the public assistants on a voluntary basis will control the correct usage of the state language in labelling of goods and in different public information areas, as well as, will provide assistance and advice for prevention of possible violations of the State Language Law. 

• Neatkariga interviews the representatives of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Latvia
• National Union elaborated a plan addressing migration crisis and proposes to set up a special parliamentary committee

Neatkariga interviews the head of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Latvia Abu Umar Hamza Janis Lucins and its press secretary Ahmed Roberts Klimovics. According to them, it is wrong to associate all refugees with Muslims as only those Muslims who practice Islam on a regular basis are the real Muslims. Regarding integration of Muslims, Mr Lucins says that it does not mean to refuse one’s religion, but it means to obey the local legal regulations.

In order to discuss issues concerning immigration policy, asylum seekers and refugees, the National Union (NU) proposed to establish a special parliamentary committee. Such proposal comes out of a plan addressing migration crisis elaborated by the NU.  The plan includes 22 proposals on how to solve the crisis not only in Latvia, but also in the EU. For instance, Neatkariga mentions, the plan says that in order to avoid increase of Russian speaking community in Latvia, when choosing asylum seekers to be accommodated in Latvia, Russian language proficiency of potential asylum seekers should not be considered as an advantage. The advantage should be given to those proficient in one of the EU official languages. The NU proposes to set that refugees have the right to receive any benefits in Latvia no longer than a year. It also proposes to define that when the situation in refugee’s home country improves he/she should return back home. Neatkariga 

• Riga City Council establishes refugee coordination centre 

Riga City Council establishes a coordination centre for the work with refugees, linking various municipal structures. Social services and municipal police will be given special attention. At the moment, Riga could offer refugees the work of cleaning the parks and cemeteries. It is planned that the municipality will be prepared by April 2016. 

• The number of residence permit applications from foreign investors decreased substantially 

Neatkariga comments that the political party National Union achieved its goal of reducing the number of residence permits to foreigners. The number of applications for temporary residence permits (227) submitted by foreign investors during the first six months of 2015 is significantly lower than during the same period during previous years (16,3 thousand in total during the first six months of 2010-2014). As of 1 July 2015, there were 13,8 thousand valid temporary residence permits in Latvia issued to foreign investors and their family members. In total, the state budget received EUR 4,6 million for various services and duties paid in connection with consideration and issuance of residence permits to foreign investors. Amendments to the Immigration Law, which entered into force last year, increased from EUR 50,000 to EUR 250,000 the lower threshold of the real estate price required for eligibility for residence permit on the basis of investment in Latvia.

• The government considers lowering refugee benefits

• Latvijas Avize interviews Riga Deputy Ieva Holma 

Newspapers report that the ruling coalition agreed to lower the refugee benefits. Representatives of the National Union “All for Latvia! – For Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National Independence Movement” argued that it is socially unjust that the current amount of refugee benefit (EUR 256 per month) is higher than the income of many people in Latvia. The coalition preliminary agreed to lower the benefit for refugees or persons with alternative status to EUR 130-150. Neatkariga, Vesti Segodnya 

Latvijas Avize interviews Ieva Holma, Deputy of the Riga City Council and Board Member of the National Union “All for Latvia! – For Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National Independence Movement”. Ieva Holma sees tendencies within the Riga City Council which threaten ethnic Latvianness (latviskums): the municipality publishes its newspaper in two languages (Latvian and Russian), municipal State Language Service has been merged with another municipal institution, there were attempts to introduce translation of safety instructions into Russian for rickshaws serving tourists. She believes Riga is unable to accommodate refugees, because the issue of housing is very difficult in the municipality: there are several thousand persons waiting in the queue to receive accommodation, including persons with disability, poor, orphans, while many residents are living in wreckage houses and it would be unfair to provide privileges to refugees. Latvijas Avize (05.10.2015)