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.

• Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs does not support referendum on granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens
• Ombudsman: European grants aimed at Roma integration in Latvia were spent ineffectively

Vesti Segodnya prints an article by the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs (the Concord Centre) about his position regarding problem of non-citizenship in Latvia and possible forthcoming referendum on granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens. Mr Usakovs believes that the decision to divide Latvian residents into citizens and non-citizens in the beginning of 90’s was the biggest mistake of Latvia. Despite that issue of non-citizenship is very personal for Nils Usakovs, as he is ex-non-citizen, he does not support the referendum on granting citizenship to non- citizens automatically because it is doomed to failure. Mr Usakovs believes the referendum would again incite ethnic tensions in the context of up-coming municipal elections and parties will stress ethnic issues in their campaigns in order to take attention away from the real important problems. Mr Usakovs states he will not take part in the collection of signatures and in the referendum if it is held.

According to a conclusion of the Ombudsman, European grants aimed at promotion of Roma social integration in Latvia allocated from 2007 to 2012 were spent ineffectively and impractically. The Ombudsman made such conclusion by checking the documentation of all the projects which received the EU funding for Roma integration. Vesti Segodnya