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.

• Latvijas Avize interviews the Minister of Interior Rihards Kozlovskis about the government’s decision to accommodate in Latvia 250 asylum seekers and refugees
• Neatkariga interviews MEPs from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania about whether the Baltic countries should agree to the accommodation of refugees from African countries

Latvijas Avize interviews the Minister of Interior Rihards Kozlovskis about the government’s decision to accommodate in Latvia 250 asylum seekers and refugees within the next two years. The Minister stresses that this is a one-off measure and Latvia will not agree for accommodation of a larger number of asylum seekers. Regarding the selection of persons who will be accommodated in Latvia, the Minister says that Latvian representatives will travel to the places where refugees and asylums seekers are currently located in order to speak to the candidates on whether they want to come to Latvia. The so-called “candidates” will be selected according to certain criteria defined by Latvian ministries. Representatives of different ministries (including the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and others) could evaluate the ability of the potential candidates to integrate as well as assess the value of their skills or education for Latvian economy.  The Minister says that, for instance, Latvia could define that it will accommodate only full families, in order to avoid that in future single refugees or asylum seekers will bring their family members to Latvia. According to the Minister, the earliest time when the first group of asylums seekers could arrive to Latvia is November.

Neatkariga interviews MEPs from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania about whether the Baltic countries should agree to the accommodation of refugees from African countries. The MEP from Estonia Indrek Tarand is convinced that it is necessary to help other European countries in accommodation of asylum seekers showing solidarity, just as Estonia would also expect solidarity if large number of refugees from neighbour countries come to its territory. He also criticized the current public debates in Estonia on refugee issue which are rude and racist. The MEP from Latvia Inese Vaidere, in her turn, does not support accommodation of asylum seekers arguing that Latvia is already inhabited by a large number of immigrants (arrived during the USSR era). She also believes that if Latvia accepts 250 persons the number most likely will grow 10 or 15 times as refugees will bring their families in a while. Mrs Vaidere also believes that it is rather important to strengthen the border control so that African refugees could not enter the EU countries. The Lithuanian MEP Petras Austrevicius supports the solidarity principle with other European countries. He believes that migrants from the conflict zones should be accommodated due to humanitarian reasons, but the economic migrants should be sent back. At the same time, due to a shortage of labour force, a certain part of economic migrants could be allowed.