• Vesti Segodnya reports about voting rights in Latvia and in other EU member states

Vesti Segodnya, reports that inLithuania, not only Lithuanian and the EU citizens but also third country nationals permanent residents ofLithuania have voting rights in the upcoming municipal elections. The newspaper notes, that such practice exists in 20 out of 28 the EU member states.Latvia is one of the member states where not only non-EU nationals but also Latvian non-citizens do not have voting rights or rights to be elected. According to the Latvian MP Boriss Cilevics (political party “Concord Centre”), the majority of the Parliament members strongly objects widening of the number of voters giving such rights to Latvian non-citizens and moreover to third country nationals. Mr Cilevics believes that it is an absurd situation when voting rights are granted to those EU citizens who resided inLatvia for six months but Latvian non-citizens who were born and lived here all their life are deprived of such rights. 

• State Language Centre: situation with usage of state language has improved

In an interview with Diena, representative of the State Language Centre (SLC) Sarmite Pavulena says situation with usage of state language has improved, because young people graduating from school are proficient in Latvian language. She believes that such tendency will continue. In total, the SLC punished 769 persons in 2014, which is by 364 less than in 2013. In 430 cases persons were punished for insufficient usage of state language during fulfilment of professional duties. During 2014, the SLC received 980 complaints about violations of state language usage. The SLC receives complaints also through the social networks.

 

• Cabinet of Ministers approved Action Plan for the implementation of the National Identity, Civil Society and Integration Policy Guidelines for the time period up to 2016

Latvijas Avize reports that the Cabinet of Ministers approved Action Plan for the implementation of the National Identity, Civil Society and Integration Policy Guidelines 2012 – 2018 for the time period up to 2016. The state budget allocated 2,4 million euros to five different ministries for the implementation of the action plan. In addition, 1,4 million euros will be granted to various activities. Commenting the adoption of the Action Plan, the Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma, says that she does not like the word “integration” as she believes it is a passed stage and now it is important to achieve that people who live inLatvia would have the sense of belonging to the state. The activities foreseen in the Plan are much wider than just integration, says Mrs Straujuma. Those are aimed at sense of belonging toLatvia, creation of opportunities for ethnic minorities to take part in the policy making process, development of ethnic minority cultures, and development of diaspora. Social scientist Dagmara Beitnere-Le Galla, in her turn, believes that it is impossible to hope that “citizens of former empire suddenly would change their mentality and since Putin’s coming to power (inRussia) this mentality has only grown.” She also believes that integration foresees not only the fact that people stay in the country but also tolerance and loyalty of these people. Mrs Beitnere-Le Galla says that currently she explores life stories of Russians and Roma living inLatvia and those show that there are ethnic Russian living in Latvia in the fifth generation and have never overtaken communist ideology and there are others who have inherited from parents and grandparents hate and contempt.  

• Weekly IR features two articles about Latvian citizens and non-citizens taking Russian citizenship in Latvia and about foreigners who received residence permits in Latvia on the basis of purchasing real estate

Weekly IR reports thataccording the State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA), the real number of Russian pensioners residing in Latvia is unknown because Russia does not provide such data. The SSIA can provide data only about those pensioners who receive Russian pensions through it, but as there are many pensioners who receive pensions directly from Russia the exact number is unknown. According to the official data of the Russian Pension Foundation, there were 20,405 Russian pensioners living in Latvia in 2014. Since 2010 the number has increased by almost 5,000. According to the Register of Residents, there were 54,838 Russian citizens living in Latvia in 2014. According to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, 2,616 persons renounced the status of Latvian non-citizen and 129 persons renounced Latvian citizenship in favour of Russia’s citizenship. The majority of them were people of retirement age. The retirement age in Russia is 55 years for women and 60 for men – comparing to 62 years in Latvia. The Security Police is concerned about the absence of the official data on the number of Russian citizens living in Latvia as it could promote speculations in public space and distribution of information discrediting for Latvia.

According to IR, 13,518 foreigners have received residence permits in Latvia within five years since the adoption of so-called “investors programme.” The majority of the investors – about 10,000 – are Russian citizens. The number of application for residence permits on the basis of purchase of expensive real estate or financial investment in Latvia has rapidly grown after events in Ukraine in February and March 2014 and dropped after the adoption of the amendments which significantly raised the price threshold of the real estate required for applying for residence permit. Thus, since September 2014 until the end of January 2015 – only 67 persons applied for residence permits on the basis of real estate purchase and 23 on the basis of bank deposit investment. According to research conducted by Re:Baltica, the majority of real estate purchasers are Russia’s middle class citizens connected with medium size private business, especially with banks. Currently, the Parliament again discusses possibility to lower the price threshold of the real estate required for applying for residence permit. However, the member of the governing coalition National Union strongly objects to it, arguing that the growing number of Russian citizens in Latvia could endanger state’s security.

• Vesti Segodnya prints an article by the MP Boriss Cilevics about concept of multiculturalism and social cohesion in Europe
• Latvijas Avize interviews organisers of free-of-charge Latvian language courses in Riga

Vesti Segodnya prints an article by the MP Boriss Cilevics about concept of multiculturalism and social cohesion in Europe. According to the author, after terrorist attacks in France and in Norway critics of multiculturalism speak about failure of multiculturalism in countries where it has never existed. The author believes that all contemporary European states face the problem of diversity management and dilemma between cultural diversity as fundamental value and the necessity to find a common level of uniformity or common comprehension for successful management and effectiveness of the state. In author’s opinion, policy of multiculturalism is practised mostly by such countries as Canada, U.S.A or partly by the Great Britain. While, neither France nor Germany have ever practised it. Therefore, it would be more correct to speak about crisis of social cohesion or society integration in these countries. Mentioning an example of the official Latvia’s integration concept (elaborated by the ex-Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte) which stresses cultural assimilation, the author believes that it contradicts the modern comprehension about the social cohesion which has rather social than cultural character. The social cohesion includes three basic elements: common values, common official language, and guarantees of equality and non-discrimination. And in Europe, the biggest problems are caused by the main precondition of integration – comprehension and acceptance of common, universal values, believes Mr Cilevics.

Latvijas Avize interviews organisers of free-of-charge Latvian language courses funded by the Riga City Council. The enrolment for the courses was announced on Monday, 16 February and almost all the groups got filled up during the very first day, leaving also some persons in the reservation list. The majority of the applicants for the courses are middle age persons and seniors with comparatively low state language proficiency. The fact there are is a low number of young people applying for the courses most likely evidences that the level of Latvian language learning in minority schools in high, believe representatives of the organisations organising the courses.