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.

• Academic Juris Rozenvalds: ethnic majority should make a first step towards ethnic minorities
• Nationalists union All for Latvia/FF-LNIM made several proposals on strengthening of ethnically Latvian Latvia
• Three Latvian citizens submitted a claim to the Constitutional Court of Latvia objecting to the fact that Russian language has a status of a foreign language in Latvia

Academic Juris Rozenvalds believes that the referendum on the status of Russian language is a consequence of a wrong integration policy and a response protest to the actions of the nationalists union which proposed to set the Latvian language as the only language of instructions in all state funded schools. Mr Rozenvalds also believes that the new guidelines for integration policy elaborated by the Ministry of Culture is one more step backwards from integration. Mr Rozenvalds believes that the majority (ethnic Latvians) should make a first step towards ethnic minorities, and such step could be granting the Orthodox Christmas (7 January) status a bank-holiday. The next step would be resolution of issues regarding the legal status to ethnic minority languages and widening of political participation of non-citizens. Latvijas Avize

Vesti Segodnya reports that on Monday, 27 February, partners of the governing coalition discussed proposals of the nationalists union All for Latvia/FF-LNIM on strengthening of ethnically Latvian Latvia. One of the proposals was supported by all the coalitions partners – the draft amendments to the Article 76 of the Constitution of Latvia stipulating that such issues as citizenship, naturalisation, status of state language, territorial integrity of the state and other issues which, in the nationalists opinion, put Latvia under the risk as a national and democratic country cannot be discussed at national referendum. The nationalists union also proposed to determine that education in all kindergartens should be only in Latvian language. However, discussion of this proposal was postponed to the next coalitions meeting. The coalition also did not support the proposal to deprive Latvian citizenship of those who made public disrespectful statements towards Latvia as a democratic and national state.

Three Latvian citizens submitted a claim to the Constitutional Court of Latvia objecting to the fact that Russian language has a status of a foreign language in Latvia. The claimants argue that Russian and German languages had a special status during the first independence of the Republic of Latvia, such as allowing ethnic non-Latvians to communicate with state and local institutions in Russian or German, right to speak from the Saeimas tribune in one or the other language, and others. Latvia defines itself not as a newly independent country, but as a restored state with full legal continuity, and after the restoration of independence of the Republic in 1991 its legal framework was restored as well (Constitution, Civil Law etc.). Exceptionally, the status of minority languages was not restored. Vesti Segodnya