In reality, this means allowing another 40,000 foreigners into Latvia every year. “Plan for the development of a cohesive and civically active society for 2024 – 2027” – that’s the name of this project, which the Ministry of Culture headed by Agnes Loginas (PRO) has submitted for approval to the Cabinet of Ministers. You can get acquainted with it here.
How to integrate “newcomers”?
Since integration is in full swing in our country, reaching high and even higher goals, the Ministry of Culture wants to intensify this process with an increased influx of migrants. And – which is quite good and culturally – the ministry is also thinking about how migrants will learn the Latvian language: “In order to promote integration, citizens of third countries are supposed to be provided with opportunities to develop competence in the Latvian language in the early stages of integration.”
Next – even more interesting. “It is planned to also provide an introductory course on life in Latvia to citizens of third countries, assuming that such a 30-hour course would be provided to at least 4,500 unique representatives of the target group and at least 3,150 representatives would indicate that the activity was useful for their integration,” the document says.
So that the integration of migrants does not slow down, the Ministry of Culture will also stick to the Song Festival of Latvia, as it is known to be too nationalistic: “In order to promote the citizens’ understanding of the diversity of society, reducing attitudes based on negative stereotypes towards various groups of society, it is planned to promote the participation of minority cultural associations in the national cultural in the room, including the Song and Dance Festival.”
In order to dilute the Song Festival, immersed in unnecessary patriotism, the Ministry of Culture has a noble intention: “It is also planned to support at least ten minority collectives in each region every year for the improvement of professional development. In order to ensure the participation of minority cultural associations in the space of national culture, it is planned to organize one minority cultural festival every third year, in which at least 50 minority associations and 500 participants would be involved.”
In order to manage this diversity inclusively, the Ministry of Culture gives instructions: “In order to increase the understanding and awareness of society and employers about the benefits of reducing discrimination, diversity management and a cohesive society, it is planned to implement at least one public awareness campaign every year, as well as educational measures for employers about issues of prevention of social exclusion and discrimination and to develop a unified diversity management support system for employers, including annual self-assessment and awarding of an inclusive work environment.”
Somehow, it will be necessary to integrate those 40,000 annual “newcomers”, so the Ministry of Culture, taking care of migrants, does it only as it thinks about Latvia’s colorful future and specifically – about activating the labor market. We can only imagine how hardworking, inclusive and demographically improving the migrants from Syria and Bangladesh will be. It can already be seen in the cities of Europe, where these “newcomers” kill and spread their religion, in the cities that they raid and loot – instead of looking for work.
Bite: Controlled labor only
How do we look at this bright perspective? The president of the Confederation of Employers and co-owner of SIA “Karavela” Andris Bite, who had already heard about migrants, whose number the Ministry of Culture hopes to increase, stated ironically: “Migrants and workers – they are two different things.”
Andras Bite’s comment: “It is necessary to strictly separate the concepts – immigration and bringing in the workforce temporarily. We are categorically against immigration as such – against the fact that someone enters here and stays to live. On the other hand, we are in favor of organizing the labor import system: the labor force enters, works, pays taxes and goes back to their homes. It is necessary to strictly define the regions from which we want to expect labor and from which we do not.”
Bite believes that the closest would be countries with similar cultural, historical and religious understanding to us. “Migrants coming from Africa – they are not workers at all, and their culture is far from Europeans’ understanding of culture. Migrants should not be allowed to take root here, use the services of the social system and try to implement their own order,” says Bite, “unfortunately, the existing legal framework allows migrants to be admitted here, giving them the opportunity to stay here forever. Together with the Ministry of Economy, we are somehow advancing the arrangement of the law, but it is not going smoothly.”
There is a shortage of labor in Latvia, and Bite believes that this shortage will continue to increase. But this cannot and should not be a reason to let in the world’s vassals who have only heard about working in fairy tales. “That’s why we insist: immigration – no, controlled labor – yes,” said Bite.
Rajevsky: The plans of the Ministry of Culture must be slowed down
“It is very progressive – to increase migration,” ironizes political scientist Filip Rajewski. But the situation is, of course, serious, and Rajevsky explains it as follows: “The Ministry of Culture intends to promote migration from third countries, and this fact should be viewed not only in connection with the war in Ukraine, but also through the prism of the war in the Middle East. Migration is like a weapon against Latvia, and we have been under the influence of this weapon for several years. Russia and Belarus use it against Latvia, bringing migrants from eastern countries to force them into Latvia. In this context, the bold plans of the Ministry of Culture should be slowed down.”
What problems are these plans supposed to address? In any case, it is not a labor problem, and Rajevsky continues: “The labor force is brought in and out, the labor force does not have to integrate. If anyone tries to tell us that encouraging immigration solves labor (absence) problems, it’s a blatant lie. It’s like this all over the world: the workforce enters, works, pays taxes and goes back to their country, to their families. The workforce comes to earn money, instead of moving to a foreign country with their family and ‘integrating’.”
Rajevsky asks questions: “Then what does the Ministry of Culture want? To diversify the Latvian nation and its cultural background? Make our society more diverse? Then it must be clearly stated: we want a Muslim community in Latvia, we want a Hindu community, etc. If there are such settings, then they are very serious, political consultations with society should be carried out about them – up to a referendum. These are the steps that change the fabric of society – so to speak. The article remains completely different.”
Rajevsky reminds us of Great Britain, where the “canvas” of society has already changed drastically, and this has political consequences: radical parties and social radicalism appear. “All of these are the consequences of ill-considered decisions, it was not discussed in society, and it also had no real rights and opportunities to express whether it wants to change this ‘canvas’,” said Rajevsky.
However, it currently looks like the Ministry of Culture is going to eradicate the Latvian “canvas” by doubling the number of permanent residence permits for various immigrants from third countries, while covering their eyes with over-bureaucratized texts of “integration” measures. The uncritical acceptance of such a plan creates risks for national security, but knowing that the government is as united as the teeth of a saw, it could also approve another masterpiece of the Ministry of Culture.
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