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.

• Political parties Peoples Harmony Party, New Centre and Daugavpils City Party decided to merge in one monolith party The Concord Centre
• Head of the Saeimas Citizenship Law Implementation Committee Peteris Tabuns: government has to review the order of granting Latvian citizenship for special merits
• Chas reports on an international conference Formation of the Russian Cultural-Linguistic Identity and Bilingual Education in Latvia

On Saturday, the political party “People’s Harmony Party” together with two other political parties “New Centre” and Daugavpils City Party has decided to form one party “The Concord Centre”. Currently the three above mentioned parties and the Latvian Socialist Party form a union “The Concord Centre”. The Latvian Socialistic has not voiced any intentions to join the to-be-party. Leader of the People’s Harmony Party Janis Urbanovics has stated that formation of one party will improve coordination of parties work. The head the Saeima’s faction “The Concord Centre”, MP Nils Usakovs has stated that unification in one party will help to build cooperation with other Latvian and Russian politicians and left and right parties.

On Saturday, the political party Peoples Harmony Party together with two other political parties New Centre and Daugavpils City Party has decided to form one party The Concord Centre. Currently the three above mentioned parties and the Latvian Socialist Party form a union The Concord Centre. The Latvian Socialistic has not voiced any intentions to join the to-be-party. Leader of the Peoples Harmony Party Janis Urbanovics has stated that formation of one party will improve coordination of parties work. The head the Saeimas faction The Concord Centre, MP Nils Usakovs has stated that unification in one party will help to build cooperation with other Latvian and Russian politicians and left and right parties. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf, Latvijas Avize, Diena, NRA

On Saturday, the political party For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM held its party congress. The member of the party, Head of the Saeima’s Citizenship Law Implementation Committee Peteris Tabuns stated that the government should review the procedures on the grant of Latvian citizenship for special merits because “there have been cases when citizenship was granted not for actual merits but hoping that such merits will be shown.”

On Saturday, the political party For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM held its party congress. The member of the party, Head of the Saeimas Citizenship Law Implementation Committee Peteris Tabuns stated that the government should review the procedures on the grant of Latvian citizenship for special merits because there have been cases when citizenship was granted not for actual merits but hoping that such merits will be shown. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

Chas reports on an international conference Formation of the Russian Cultural-Linguistic Identity and Bilingual Education in Latvia held by the Latvian Association of Russian Language and Literature Teachers and the Latvian Association for Support of Russian Language Schools (LAPRYAL and LASHOR in their Russian acronyms respectively) from 14 to 16 December in Riga. The representatives of various NGOs, the Ministry of Education and Science and the National Agency for Latvian Language Training, as well as school directors, teachers and parents of school students took part in the conference. The newspaper notes that 77, 471 or 27. 28% of students are studying in Russian language schools.