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.

• Discussion on citizenship referendum
• Chas readers complain about differences in calculating pensions of citizens and non-citizens

 

Vesti Segodnya reports about the discussion “Direct democracy in Latvia” organised on 19 October 2012 by the movement “For Equal Rights”, which initiated referendum on granting Latvian citizenship to Latvian non-citizens. Participants of the discussions agree that the problem of non-citizenship has to be resolved. According to Juris Rozenvalds, the ruling parties should make it clear that they understand this problem. Ilze Ostrovska stated that both the ruling “Unity” and the opposition “Concord Centre” are not interested in holding the referendum.

 

Chas writes that the problem of pensions is one of the questions most often raised by their readers, who complain about exclusion of large part of their length of service because of their citizenship status. The treaty on social protection between Latvia and Russia has solved some of the problems. Outside the framework of the treaty, only work in Latvia is taken into account in calculating retirement pensions of non-citizens, while the entire period of employment (including in other republics of the Soviet Union) is taken into account in calculating pensions of citizens. The article highlights that the Soviet-era work of citizens in Kazakhstan is taken into account when calculating pensions, while the same work of non-citizens is not.