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.

• Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins informed about the plans to restructure and merge the Naturalisation Board with the State Language Centre
• Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration is planning to launch in the end of August discussions on new national integration conception for the time period 2008-2018
• Ministry of Justice prepared draft amendments to the Administrative Violations Code stipulating new fines for insufficient usage of state language

Yesterday, the Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins (For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM) informed about plans to restructure and merge the Naturalisation Board (NB) with the State Language Centre (SLC). According to Gaidis Berzins, merging of two institutions is necessary due to the decreasing speed of naturalisation and increasing activities of the SLC. Therefore, the Minister believed that formation of one strong establishment would improve capacity of both institutions.  New institution might be named the Board of State Language and Citizenship Affairs and might launch its work in 2009. However, in an interview with

Yesterday, the Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins (For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM) informed about plans to restructure and merge the Naturalisation Board (NB) with the State Language Centre (SLC). According to Gaidis Berzins, merging of two institutions is necessary due to the decreasing speed of naturalisation and increasing activities of the SLC. Therefore, the Minister believed that formation of one strong establishment would improve capacity of both institutions. New institution might be named the Board of State Language and Citizenship Affairs and might launch its work in 2009. However, in an interview with Vesti Segodnya, the MP Janis Urbanovics (the Concord Centre) has stated that merging of the NB and the SLC would hinder the naturalisation process. Vesti Segodnya

The Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration in the end of August is planning to launch discussions on new national integration concept for the time period 2008-2018.

The Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration in the end of August is planning to launch discussions on new national integration concept for the time period 2008-2018. Chas prints an opinion of the MPs Jakovs Pliners and Valerijs Buhvalovs (For Human Rights in United Latvia) on what must be included into the draft concept. According to the MPs, establishment of civil society has to be the core aim of the concept. The MPs consider that in order to establish trust within Latvian society, the following measures have to be implemented: grant non-citizens voting rights in municipal elections; establish consultative councils of NGOs which would be involved in governmental and municipal decision making; consultations with representatives of oppositional political parties.

Telegraf reports that the Ministry of Justice prepared draft amendments to the Administrative Violations Code stipulating new fines for insufficient usage of state language.