• President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers will proclaim the amendments raising fines for insufficient usage of state language
• Union of Citizens and Non-citizens plans to establish a movement for granting voting rights to non-citizens in municipal elections
• All for Latvia!-For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM proposes to delete an article from the Immigration Law which stipulates granting residence permits to foreigners who possess real estate in Latvia

Neatkariga reports that the NGO Latvian Human Rights Committee appealed to the President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers asking not to proclaim the amendments to the Administrative Violations Code which raise fines for insufficient usage of state language. However, the President decided to proclaim the amendments.

An NGO Union of Citizens and Non-citizens came with an initiative to establish a movement called “2013”. The main aim of the movement would be to achieve granting voting rights to non-citizens in municipal elections in 2013. According to the head on the NGO, this initiative is not a part of pre-election campaign of any party. The head of the NGO believes that solving  the problem would be essential for development of democracy in Latvia.

An NGO Union of Citizens and Non-citizens came with an initiative to establish a movement called 2013. The main aim of the movement would be to achieve granting voting rights to non-citizens in municipal elections in 2013. According to the head on the NGO, this initiative is not a part of pre-election campaign of any party. The head of the NGO believes that solving the problem would be essential for development of democracy in Latvia. Chas

The nationalists’ union All for Latvia!-For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM proposes to delete an article from the Immigration Law which stipulates granting residence permits to foreigners who possess real estate in Latvia. The nationalists believe that such norm deforms real estate market in the country and results in rising prices for apartments and houses. MPs from the Concord Centre do not agree with that arguing that only owners of expensive real estate can receive the residence permit and it does not impact prices on ordinary apartments. However, the majority of the Saeima supported the proposed draft amendments in the first reading and forwarded those to the parliamentary committees.

The nationalists union All for Latvia!-For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM proposes to delete an article from the Immigration Law which stipulates granting residence permits to foreigners who possess real estate in Latvia. The nationalists believe that such norm deforms real estate market in the country and results in rising prices for apartments and houses. MPs from the Concord Centre do not agree with that arguing that only owners of expensive real estate can receive the residence permit and it does not impact prices on ordinary apartments. However, the majority of the Saeima supported the proposed draft amendments in the first reading and forwarded those to the parliamentary committees. Vesti Segodnya

• Ministry of Culture held a discussion on integration of third country nationals

Vesti Segodnya reports about a discussion on integration of third country nationals held by the Ministry of Culture at a Georgian restaurant Tamada. The Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte, the Ombudsman Juris Jansons and other state officials took part in the discussion. The Minister Elerte considers that Latvian non-citizens (those former USSR citizens residing in Latvia before the restoration of independence and their descendants who currently do not have any citizenship) are immigrants with the status of privileged foreigners. The Minister believes that special attention should be paid to proficiency of Latvian language by immigrants and protection of ethnic Latvian national identity.

• 59,5% of Latvian residents are ethnic Latvians
• Vesti Segodnya prints an article about housing conditions of Roma in Jurmala

According to the Central Statistical Bureau, 59,5% of Latvian residents are ethnic Latvians. This is the highest indicator for past 20 years. In 1989 ethnic Latvians comprised 52,5% of population in Latvia. The second largest ethnic group is Russians – 27,4%, and the third largest ethnic group is Belorussians – 3,5%.

According to the Central Statistical Bureau, 59,5% of Latvian residents are ethnic Latvians. This is the highest indicator for past 20 years. In 1989 ethnic Latvians comprised 52,5% of population in Latvia. The second largest ethnic group is Russians – 27,4%, and the third largest ethnic group is Belorussians – 3,5%. Telegraf

Vesti Segodnya prints an article about housing conditions of Roma in Jurmala (seaside city to the west of Riga). Correspondent of the newspaper visited a social apartment house where the majority of inhabitants are Roma. According to the article, the only convenience in the house is electricity. The Roma inhabitants are unemployed and live on temporary earnings.

• Concord Centre: sunctions envisioned for insufficient language usage is more severe then sunctions for emotional or physical abuse against a child

The Concord Centre’s (CC) faction in the Saeima prepared draft amendments to the Administrative Violations Code which would soften penalties for insufficient usage of state language. The CC proposes that the penalty for the first-time insufficient usage of state language at work could be reduced to a warning, while the penalty for a repeated insufficient language usage could be a pecuniary penalty in amount of LVL 25-50 (EUR 35-71). Amendments recently supported by the Saeima envisage fines for insufficient usage of state language at work ranging from LVL 50 (EUR 71) to LVL 200 (EUR 285). Member of the CC Valerijs Agesins believes that a repressive method is a wrong strategy to solve the problem of insufficient state language proficiency. Mr Agesins notes that violation of the State Language Law is punished by more severe penalties then emotional or physical abuse against a child.

The Concord Centres (CC) faction in the Saeima prepared draft amendments to the Administrative Violations Code which would soften penalties for insufficient usage of state language. The CC proposes that the penalty for the first-time insufficient usage of state language at work could be reduced to a warning, while the penalty for a repeated insufficient language usage could be a pecuniary penalty in amount of LVL 25-50 (EUR 35-71). Amendments recently supported by the Saeima envisage fines for insufficient usage of state language at work ranging from LVL 50 (EUR 71) to LVL 200 (EUR 285). Member of the CC Valerijs Agesins believes that a repressive method is a wrong strategy to solve the problem of insufficient state language proficiency. Mr Agesins notes that violation of the State Language Law is punished by more severe penalties then emotional or physical abuse against a child. Chas, Vesti Segodnya

• 39% of Roma children give up school due to lack of funds
• Conference of Russian compatriots conducted in Riga
• Leader of the Concord Centre Janis Urbanovics: mass non-citizenship in Latvia is not a problem of non-citizens
• Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte: Russian language is a regional language of post Soviet space

According to a study “Roma Rights for Education: Situation in Latvia” conducted by the Centre for Education Initiative, 39% of Roma children give up school due to lack of funds necessary for continuation of the studies. 34% of Roma stop going to school because they start to work, 13% because they begin their own family life, and 13 % of Roma children stop attending the school due to their parents’ prohibition. According to the Roma parents interviewed in the framework of the study, they are not confident that good education will ensure their children with work and subsistence. 

According to a study Roma Rights for Education: Situation in Latvia conducted by the Centre for Education Initiative, 39% of Roma children give up school due to lack of funds necessary for continuation of the studies. 34% of Roma stop going to school because they start to work, 13% because they begin their own family life, and 13 % of Roma children stop attending the school due to their parents prohibition. According to the Roma parents interviewed in the framework of the study, they are not confident that good education will ensure their children with work and subsistence. Chas

Latvijas Avize reports about the IV conference of organisations of Russian compatriots Russian World in Latvia: observance of ethnic minorities rights – necessary condition for establishment of democracy and society integration held on 19 June in Riga. According to the conferences participants, the main aims of the organisations of Russian compatriots will still include granting all non-citizens Latvian citizenship and granting Russian language status of official in Latvia.

According to the leader of the Concord Centre Janis Urbanovics, mass non-citizenship in Latvia is a problem of the state, and not a problem of non-citizens themselves. Mr. Urbanovics believes that non-citizens do not care about their status anymore because they can freely travel to Europe and Russia. Mr. Urbanovics believes that it is useless to allow or forbid non-citizens to receive citizenship; instead, non-citizens rather should be persuaded to accept the citizenship.

According to the leader of the Concord Centre Janis Urbanovics, mass non-citizenship in Latvia is a problem of the state, and not a problem of non-citizens themselves. Mr. Urbanovics believes that non-citizens do not care about their status anymore because they can freely travel to Europe and Russia. Mr. Urbanovics believes that it is useless to allow or forbid non-citizens to receive citizenship; instead, non-citizens rather should be persuaded to accept the citizenship. Telegraf

Vesti Segodnya publishes an article by the Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte in which the Minister explains why she does not support the proposal of the Concord Centre to allow teaching in higher education establishments in Russian language. The Minister considers that Russian language is a regional language of post Soviet space, while English is the world language. Mrs Elerte believes that allowing higher education establishment to provide studies in Russian would strengthen second-rate education in Latvia and ruin state language policy. According to Mrs Elerte, the quality of higher education can be raised only by providing studies in English and other official EU languages.