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.

• National Integration Centre will promote integration of third-country nationals
• Constitutional Court closed proceedings on the compliance of the law on initiation of referendums with the Constitution of Latvia
• President of Latvia Andris Berzins: young people should learn foreign languages

Vesti Segodnya reports about a new National Integration Centre (NIC) aimed at integration of third-country nationals in Latvia. The Centre was established in the framework of a project funded by the European Fund for the integration of third-country nationals. The Centre is planning to conduct 10 informative seminars in all Latvian regions about integration issues.

Yesterday, the Constitutional Court issued its decision to close the proceedings on the compliance of the law on initiation of referendums with the Constitution of Latvia. The case was initiated by 30 MPs who asked the Court to acknowledge that the procedure of the initiation of referendum does not comply with the Constitution and therefore, called to cancel to decision of the President and the Bureau of the Saeima to forward the draft law on the status of Russian language in Latvia for the national referendum. The real aim of the MPs was not to permit the referendum on Russian language at all. As reported, the referendum on granting Russian language the status of a state language in Latvia was conducted in February 2012 and the majority of citizens did not support the initiative. Latvijas Avize, Diena

Young people in Latvia should learn foreign languages, including Russian language in order to become more competitive, said the President of Latvia Andris Berzins in an interview with Vesti Segodnya.  The President said that no one sees anything strange in learning of English and the same should be with Russian language because there are close economical ties with Russian speaking countries. The President stated that foreign languages will make Latvia even stronger.