«No to genocide of the Latvian people,» «250 refugees is just the beginning,» «Europe for Europeans.» In early August, posters with such slogans appeared under the windows of the Cabinet of Ministers building in central Riga. More than a hundred people came here to protest the placement of refugees from Africa and the Middle East in the republic. The reason for the protest was the Latvian government's decision to show solidarity with other EU countries and accept 250 migrants over two years (200 of them are already in Italy and Greece, and 50 are to arrive from third countries).
Initially, the European Commission proposed introducing mandatory quotas for the distribution of 60,000 refugees in the EU – under which Latvia would have to accept more than 700 people. However, that plan was rejected – instead, it was decided to act on a voluntary basis. In terms of the number of refugees accepted, the Baltic states are far behind other EU countries. Lithuania is ready to host 325, and Estonia – 150 forced migrants. Yet even these small numbers sparked fierce debates here. In Latvia, the refugee issue nearly led to the collapse of the ruling coalition.
As Deutsche Welle notes, Latvia's experience in refugee integration is minimal. According to official data, since 1998, about 1,500 migrants have sought asylum in the country. Ultimately, 65 received refugee status and 127 received «alternative status.» The first of the 250 migrants are expected to arrive in the republic as early as the end of 2015. According to Parliamentary Secretary at the Interior Ministry Evika Siliņa, these people will initially have the status of asylum seekers. After a thorough assessment of their situation, they may be granted legal refugee status – in which case the person acquires permanent residency in the country and the right to family reunification. Persons whose home countries are experiencing armed conflict may also qualify for «alternative status,» which is granted for a fixed period.
The Latvian government's decision caused significant disagreements in the ruling coalition. The national-conservative party «National Alliance,» which opposes accepting refugees, even threatened to file a complaint with the Constitutional Court. The party explains its position by the «large-scale colonization of Latvia» during the Soviet period. As co-chair of the National Alliance Jānis Dombrava emphasized, Latvia still has the largest share of national minorities among EU countries, so accepting new arrivals is currently impossible. In response, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs stated that for the sake of their political ratings, the nationalists are «sacrificing Latvia's security» in the context of the EU and NATO.
However, the Latvian left are also in no hurry to welcome refugees with open arms. The opposition party «Harmony Center,» which traditionally supports the Russian-speaking population, claims that by accepting refugees, Latvia must pay for its support of NATO and US military operations in the Middle East. And the party chairman, Riga Mayor Nils Ušakovs, stated that there is no place to house newcomers in the capital.
Moreover, there is an opinion that Latvia is too poor a country to afford accepting migrants. People with refugee status receive a monthly allowance of 256 euros for one year. The Latvian Federation of Pensioners emphasizes that this amount is higher than the pensions of 75 percent of Latvian pensioners. In turn, the leader of the Latvian Association of Regions Mārtiņš Bondars stated that migrants could bring infectious diseases to Latvia and turn out to be supporters of the extremist group «Islamic State.»
At the same time, defenders of migrants have also become more active in the country. On August 24, a rally in their support was held in Riga under the slogan «For humane treatment of refugees!» The scale of Latvia would allow it to accept even 2,500 refugees, believes the rally organizer Ieva Vitola.
Representatives of the Latvian intelligentsia published an open letter to politicians, calling for the attraction of young people to be seen as an opportunity for the country's development. Moreover, the refugee situation is an international problem. «Latvia, which has received almost 6 billion euros from European funds since 2000, should in return provide at least shelter for several hundred people threatened by war, hunger, and poverty,» the letter says.
However, the majority of the population apparently does not think so. According to the results of a Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2014, only 16 percent of Latvians have a positive attitude toward migrants. According to sociologist Dagmāra Beitnere, people perceive refugees as a threat, partly due to the small size of the Latvian people. Sociologist Aija Lulle additionally believes that Latvians have developed a «victim psychology» – during Soviet times, they were not entitled to limit the influx of migrants from other republics of the former USSR. Furthermore, people lack knowledge about the culture and religion of refugees. However, personal contact with newcomers would change that, she is confident.
Meanwhile, one of the main issues remains the integration of newcomers. The process is usually very problematic, notes Alvis Šķenders, a lawyer for the organization «Shelter «Safe House,»» which provides support to refugees. According to him, migrants find it difficult to learn the Latvian language and find work due to a lack of skills. The main difficulties begin after a year, when the allowance period expires. Therefore, the government has now been tasked with developing an effective integration mechanism.