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.

• Municipal deputies will be deprived of mandate if fail to improve state language skills
• Riga City Council did not allow local Roma NGO to hold a protest action near the French embassy in Riga against Roma deportations from France
• For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM criticize the existing situation when in majority of Latvian schools Russian language is studied as the second foreign language

Yesterday, the Saeima approved in the final reading draft amendments to the law on the status of municipal deputies. Amendments envisage that deputies who don’t have certain level of Latvian language proficiency will have to improve their proficiency and their training will be paid by municipality. If a deputy fails to attest the required level within half a year, the State Language Centre will be able to request a regional court to annul the deputy’s mandate. The amendments do not apply on municipal deputies elected in 2009.

Yesterday, the Saeima approved in the final reading draft amendments to the law on the status of municipal deputies. Amendments envisage that deputies who dont have certain level of Latvian language proficiency will have to improve their proficiency and their training will be paid by municipality. If a deputy fails to attest the required level within half a year, the State Language Centre will be able to request a regional court to annul the deputys mandate. The amendments do not apply on municipal deputies elected in 2009. Telegraf, Chas, Diena, Neatkariga

The Riga City Council did not allow local Roma NGO to hold a protest action near the French Embassy in Riga because the application for it was submitted too late. Local Roma by the action wanted to voice their protests against Roma deportations from France.

The Riga City Council did not allow local Roma NGO to hold a protest action near the French Embassy in Riga because the application for it was submitted too late. Local Roma by the action wanted to voice their protests against Roma deportations from France. Telegraf, Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize reports that members of the nationalists political party For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM criticize the existing situation when in majority of Latvian schools Russian language is studied as the second foreign language (first foreign language is English.) The partys members consider that students of Latvian schools should study at least two of the EU languages in the first place in order to be more competitive in the labour market, while, Russian can be studied as the third foreign language.