• Vesti Segodnya reports about a conference Labour Force Migration – Opportunities and Challenges
• Latvijas Avize prints an interview with a member of the nationalists party All for Latvia! Janis Dombrava elected in the new Saeima

Vesti Segodnya reports about a conference Labour Force Migration – Opportunities and Challenges held yesterday by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs. According to researchers who presented their studies on economics and migration, if Latvia does not open its labour market for guest workers in next few years it will not be able to reach prosperity and will remain one of the poorest countries in the EU.

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with a member of the nationalists party All for Latvia! Janis Dombrava elected in the new Saeima. According to Mr. Dombrava, the government should elaborate mechanism which would promote resettlement of those residents who are dissatisfied with Latvia and are living in other informative space to other countries where they could fill better. Janis Dombrava also believes that emigration of young people from Latvia could be hindered by patriotic education in schools so that wage factor would not be primary for people.

• Concord Centre is excluded from the negotiations on establishment of government coalition
• Chas prints an interview with the leader of the nationalists party All for Latvia! Raivis Dzintars
• State language proficiency grades decrease among graduates of elementary schools with Russian language of instruction
• Academician Raita Karnite: Latvia will be forced to open its labour market for immigrants in six or seven years

Newspapers report that the Concord Centre is excluded from the negotiations on establishment of government coalition. As reported, the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis and the elections winning political union the Unity set acknowledgment of occupation of Latvia by the Concord Centre (CC) as a condition for its participation in the coalition. However, yesterday, the CC stated that the Unity should withdraw all its conditions and to begin negotiations from the beginning. The Unity did not agree to such position and decided not to continue dialogue with the CC. So far, the Unity came to an agreement about common coalition only with the Union of Greens and Farmers. The Unity continues negotiations with the nationalists’ union For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM-All for Latvia! which set its own requirements for the coalition’s agreement regarding state language, citizenship and history.  

Newspapers report that the Concord Centre is excluded from the negotiations on establishment of government coalition. As reported, the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis and the elections winning political union the Unity set acknowledgment of occupation of Latvia by the Concord Centre (CC) as a condition for its participation in the coalition. However, yesterday, the CC stated that the Unity should withdraw all its conditions and to begin negotiations from the beginning. The Unity did not agree to such position and decided not to continue dialogue with the CC. So far, the Unity came to an agreement about common coalition only with the Union of Greens and Farmers. The Unity continues negotiations with the nationalists union For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM-All for Latvia! which set its own requirements for the coalitions agreement regarding state language, citizenship and history. Telegraf, Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga

Chas prints an interview with the leader of the nationalists party All for Latvia! Raivis Dzintars. According to Mr. Dzintars, his party objects to inclusion of the Concord Centre in the government coalition not because of his partys negative attitude towards ethnic Russians but because of different ideological positions between the two parties.

According to the State Education Content Centre, state language proficiency among graduates of elementary schools with Russian language of instructions has decreased. Summarized results of centralised examination in Latvian language show that number of students who receives lowest evaluation grows every year. Teachers interviewed by

According to the State Education Content Centre, state language proficiency among graduates of elementary schools with Russian language of instructions has decreased. Summarized results of centralised examination in Latvian language show that number of students who receives lowest evaluation grows every year. Teachers interviewed by Telegraf identified three possible reasons for lower grades: more complicated examination content, luck of motivation of students to study Latvian language as they see their future outside of the country, or common decrease of motivation to study at all among students. Telegraf

According to a representative of the Centre of Economics Forecasts, academician Raita Karnite, Latvia will be forced to open its labour market for immigrants in six or seven years. The main reason for reception of immigrants will be inability to improve demographic situation in the country.

According to a representative of the Centre of Economics Forecasts, academician Raita Karnite, Latvia will be forced to open its labour market for immigrants in six or seven years. The main reason for reception of immigrants will be inability to improve demographic situation in the country. Vesti Segodnya

• Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis wants to unite four parties in the government coalition including the Concord Centre and FF/LNIM-All for Latvia!

Newspapers report about formation of the new government coalition. On 14 October, the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (leader of the elections winning party the Unity) stated that the coalition might be established by four political parties, including the Concord Centre, the nationalists’ union For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM-All for Latvia! and the Union of Greens and Farmers. However, the CC will be included in the coalition only if it acknowledges the fact of occupation of Latvia. The Prime Minister also presented draft agreement of coalition’s parties which forbids the parties to introduce amendments to so-called “sensitive” issues in legal acts such as status of state language and minority languages, rights of citizens and non-citizens, citizenship, naturalisation, and initiatives aimed at revision of the fact of occupation of Latvia. All the parties should give their response about participation in the coalition today.

Newspapers report about formation of the new government coalition. On 14 October, the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (leader of the elections winning party the Unity) stated that the coalition might be established by four political parties, including the Concord Centre, the nationalists union For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM-All for Latvia! and the Union of Greens and Farmers. However, the CC will be included in the coalition only if it acknowledges the fact of occupation of Latvia. The Prime Minister also presented draft agreement of coalitions parties which forbids the parties to introduce amendments to so-called sensitive issues in legal acts such as status of state language and minority languages, rights of citizens and non-citizens, citizenship, naturalisation, and initiatives aimed at revision of the fact of occupation of Latvia. All the parties should give their response about participation in the coalition today. Telegraf, Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Diena, Neatkariga

• The situation of Latvian non-citizens presented

Russian-language newspapers report about the situation of Latvian non-citizens, who emerged as a category of population after Latvian Parliament passed Resolution “On the Renewal of the Rights of Citizens of the Republic of Latvia and Fundamental Principles of Naturalization” on 15 October 1991. As of August 2010, there were 336,000 Latvian non-citizens, including 114,000 persons above the age of 60 and 17,000 persons born in Latvia after restoration of independence. According to the Latvian Human Rights Committee, there are currently 79 differences in rights of citizens and non-citizens of Latvia, including 16 cases when foreigners residing in Latvia enjoy greater rights than Latvian non-citizens. During 2009, the main patterns of reduction of the number of non-citizens in Latvia included death (39.1%), acquisition of Latvian citizenship (23.5%), emigration (18.9%), acquisition of foreign citizenship (18.4%). Naturalization rate continues to fall and only 908 non-citizens naturalized during the first six months of 2010. According to an MP Vladimirs Buzaevs (FHRUL), naturalization exams are tough and currently 64% of naturalization applicants fail the exams.

Russian-language newspapers report about the situation of Latvian non-citizens, who emerged as a category of population after Latvian Parliament passed Resolution On the Renewal of the Rights of Citizens of the Republic of Latvia and Fundamental Principles of Naturalization on 15 October 1991. As of August 2010, there were 336,000 Latvian non-citizens, including 114,000 persons above the age of 60 and 17,000 persons born in Latvia after restoration of independence. According to the Latvian Human Rights Committee, there are currently 79 differences in rights of citizens and non-citizens of Latvia, including 16 cases when foreigners residing in Latvia enjoy greater rights than Latvian non-citizens. During 2009, the main patterns of reduction of the number of non-citizens in Latvia included death (39.1%), acquisition of Latvian citizenship (23.5%), emigration (18.9%), acquisition of foreign citizenship (18.4%). Naturalization rate continues to fall and only 908 non-citizens naturalized during the first six months of 2010. According to an MP Vladimirs Buzaevs (FHRUL), naturalization exams are tough and currently 64% of naturalization applicants fail the exams.

Chas, Telegraf, Vesti-Segodnya

• Security Police did not find incitement to ethnic hatred in a video clip and a song My profession – ethnic Latvian
• Neatkariga reports that several deputies elected in the new Saeima have insufficient Latvian language proficiency

The Security Police did not find incitement to ethnic hatred in a video clip and a song My profession – ethnic Latvian. As reported, nationalists political union For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM-All for Latvia! believed that this song and video published on the Internet openly insults ethnic Latvians. Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

Neatkariga reports that several deputies elected in the new Saeima have insufficient Latvian language proficiency. According to a representative of the State language Centre Antons Kursitis, the MPs should have the highest level of state language proficiency, however, unlike municipal deputies, it is impossible to punish MPs if they are not proficient enough.