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.

• Neatkariga prints an interview with the judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, head of the President’s Constitution’s Rights Committee Egils Levits
• Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis: no dialogue will be possible with the Congress of Non-Citizens if it does not acknowledge the basic principles of Latvian state

Neatkariga prints an interview with the judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, head of the President’s Constitution’s Rights Committee Egils Levits. Mr Levits believes that ethnic Latvians are the state nation of Latvia and all its residents should understand that Latvia is a national state as well as France, Sweden or Denmark. Mr Levits says that Russian speaking residents in Latvia and Estonia are the only two Russian communities in the world which do not want to accept countries where they live as national states. Mr Levits believes that a part of ex-Soviet citizens painfully perceives the fact that Latvia is not a part of the USSR anymore but is democratic and ethnic Latvian state. According to Mr Levits, people who arrived to Latvia during Soviet times after restoration of Latvia’s Independence were granted very high legal status (status of non-citizens) giving them privileges comparing to foreigners. Mr Levits also considers that the preamble to the Latvia’s Constitutions should contain the milestones of Latvian state with an aim to strengthen state and sense of belonging to the state.

In an interview with Latvijas Avize, commenting the establishment of the Congress of Non-Citizens, the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis states that no dialogue will be possible with the Congress if it does not acknowledge the principle of continuity of Latvian state. According to Mr Dombrovskis if the Congress supports automatic granting of Latvian citizenship to all non-citizens that means that it does not support basic principles of Latvian state.