How could Latvia learn from Frances history in dealing with this problem?
Yes, this is an expression I have used several times. When you observe that 62 percent of Latvian GDP is produced in Riga, or when you can anticipate that perhaps two-thirds of European funds will go to the Riga region, one has to think about long-term implications in terms of demography, migration, social justice, regional development outside of Riga and, of course, security of the EU’s external borders. During the EU accession referendum it was rather interesting to observe that the most reluctant areas were not only places where you have a majority of minorities, but where you have a combination of social problems, a high number of jobless people and perhaps, from time to time, minority issues. It is a combination. The “no vote” map in the referendum should become an objective for regional planning. Therefore one may assume, that, for Latvia, European integration, regional integration and social integration are the three sides of the same triangle. There is a unique opportunity for
