• Latvian entrepreneur establish a Facebook group “Want to help refugees”

Weekly Ir reports about a Latvian entrepreneur who decided to establish a Facebook group “Want to help refugees” for Latvian residents. The aim of the group is to gather people who are ready to help asylum seekers who will be accommodated inLatvia and ideas for different support actions. Up to now, the group has more than 900 members. 

• Latvia will have to accommodate additionally 526 asylum seekers
• Majority of Latvian residents support accommodation of war refugees in Latvia

Yesterday, the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker announced the plan on redistribution of asylum seekers across the EU member states. According to the proposal,Latviawill have to accommodate 526 asylum seekers within next two years in addition to 250 persons it already agreed to accept. Latvijas Avize, Diena, Vesti Segodnya, Neatkariga

According to an opinion survey conducted by a company SDKS, 71,7% of Latvian residents support accommodation of war refugees in Latvia, while 21% do not support it. 37,5% of respondents also support accommodation of persons persecuted due political views or religious belief, while 49,2% do not support it. Also the majority or 65% of residents do not support accommodation of person who fled their countries due to economical reasons, while 25,5% support it. Latvijas Avize

• State Language Centre made a verbal warning to the Museum of Liepaja for exhibition’s title „мāксла" written using a mixture of Russian and Latvian letters
• Cabinet of Ministers considered an informative report about introduction of voluntary assistants of the State Language Centre

The State Language Centre (SLC) made a verbal warning to the Museumof Liepaja(city in the Western part of Latvia) for exhibition’s title written using a mixture of Russian and Latvian letters.  According to the exhibition’s author, the title is a part of the creative exhibition and cannot be changed. The author explains that by such title one Latvian word contains Latvian and Russian letters – he reflects the situation in Latvian society and speaks about important issues of integration and multiculturalism. Representatives of the museum also criticize the SLC actions saying that it is attempt to restrict how artists should speak and is similar to censorship. The SLC closed the administrative violation case and made a verbal reprimand to the Museum as it agreed to add a footnote to the title writing it in correct Latvian language on a poster advertising the exhibition. Irir.lv

Yesterday, the Cabinet of Ministers considered an informative report about introduction of voluntary assistants of the State Language Centre prepared by the Ministry of Justice. As reported, it is planned that the voluntary assistants would help the SLC to identify violations of the State Language Law in marking the goods and distribution of public information and to provide assistance in prevention of such violations. Introduction of voluntary assistants requires additional funding for the SLC and staff positions. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the report.  Vesti Segodnya

 

• Advisor to  the Minister of Foreign Affairs Viktors Makarovs: naturalisationis a compromise for solving the problem of non-citizenship
• Eizenija Aldermane: level of state language proficiency is not the main criteria showing how well the person is integrated
• State Chancellery prepared informative material for Latvian residents about asylum seekers and refugees

Viktors Makarovs, advisor to  the Minister of Foreign Affairs in an interview with Vesti Segodnya said that he would like to seeLatvia as a state where the phenomenon  of non-citizenship does not exist anymore. As there are different opinions in the society how to solve this problem from  those who want to grant Latvian citizenship automatically to all by ending to  those totally against granting citizenship to non-citizens, naturalisation is a compromise, believes V. Makarovs.

Eizenija Aldermane, head of the Education, Culture and Sports Committee of the Riga City Council criticizes the approach  that the level of state language proficiency usually is the main criteria for the society defining how well the person is integrated. She says that there are at least several criteria of integration and the language being only of them. Ms Aldermane gives cites other countries with  integration centres where immigrants can learn history of the country, its traditions, basic values,etc. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya reports that the State Chancellery has prepared an informative material for Latvian residents about asylum seekers and refugees. The material explains  who the asylum seekers and refugees are, their  rights and responsibilities. It also explains the procedure of granting asylum  and provides statistics about asylum seekers and those granted international protection inLatvia. Materials in Latvian are available at: http://www.mk.gov.lv/lv/content/infografikas-par-patveruma-mekletajiem

• MPs refused a proposal to demand the government to explain to the Parliament the accommodation of asylum seekers in Latvia

Yesterday, majority of the MPs refused a proposal to demand the government to provide to the Parliament its explanation about the accommodation of asylum seekers in Latvia. As reported, the decision to accommodate 250 asylum seekers was adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers at a closed session. The National Union (NU, member of the governing coalition) criticized the fact that the decision was taken without open debates in the Parliament. However, after a conversation with the Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma, the NU abandoned its initial initiative to demand the government to explain its decision to the Parliament. According to the Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma, first group of asylum seekers most likely will arrive to Latvia by the end of winter. But until that time, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have to make sure that persons who will come are mentally similar to the residents of Baltic states, said Mrs Straujuma. At the same time, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Ilze Petersone-Godmane said that the main criteria for the persons who will be accommodated in Latvia is their conformity with the status of asylum seekers.Diena, Latvijas Avize