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.

 

Integration and Minority Information Service
of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies

• Foreign Affairs Minister of Italy: the EU will pay attention to the integration problems of Russian-speakers in Latvia
• Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister about the integration issues
• Interview with Ina Druviete, the Head of the Saeima Human Rights Committee about the integration issues
• The MPs of the FHRUL require to continue discussion about the education reform

Neatkariga reports about the information provided by the Russian news agency RIA that the Foreign Affairs Minister of Italy, the EU presiding country, in the correspondence to the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister announced that the EU will pay the attention to the integration problems of Russian-speakers in Latvia and Estonia and that education issues have to be solved in accordance with the European standards of the protection of the rights of national minorities.

Lauku Avize features an interview with Sandra Kalniete, the Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister. The Minister stresses that the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination published recommendations to increase the pace of naturalisation are not compulsory. Regarding the ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Ms. Kalniete believes that this is a matter of time as the standards of the protection of national minorities to a great extent are introduced into national legislation.

Rigas Balss features an interview with Ina Druviete, the Head of the Saeima Human Rights Committee about the integration issues. Ina Druviete fears that the principles of the Society integration are not observed. However Ms. Druviete rejects the statements that she is interested to take the post of the Special Task Minister for Societal Integration.

The MPs of the political coalition For Human Rights in United Latvia renewed Saeima’s faction and the Riga City Council prepared a document asking to organise a discussion with the representatives of the national minority NGOs and the Headquarters for the protection of Russian schools in order to adopt measures that would allow Russian schools to decide on the ratio of the instruction languages. The document was forwarded to the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and the Special Task Minister for Societal Integration.

The MPs of the political coalition For Human Rights in United Latvia renewed Saeimas faction and the Riga City Council prepared a document asking to organise a discussion with the representatives of the national minority NGOs and the Headquarters for the protection of Russian schools in order to adopt measures that would allow Russian schools to decide on the ratio of the instruction languages. The document was forwarded to the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and the Special Task Minister for Societal Integration. Chas