On immigration

An anti-immigration television ad placed by a far-right political party sparked controversy earlier this month over the possible influx of immigrants into Latvia following the country's membership in the European Union. (See story page 1.)

The Baltic Times asked a few people on the street if they think many migrants will arrive after EU accession.

Maija, craftswoman

"I don't think there'll be a big flow, but there will be some. I think this is a bit of a minus. We'd like to preserve our culture, but this will mean we'll lose our core."

Evita, student

"I don't think so, because the standard of living here isn't so high."

Velta, flower seller

"No. Some things will change a bit, there will be some flow, but I don' t think it'll be very big."

Sergejs, student

"Maybe. But it'll be very bad if it happens. There will be a lot of people and Latvia's a small country, and there will be big problems."

Sandra, nurse

"Probably so. We'll come up against the same problems as other developed countries, like England, where so many foreign immigrants have come."

Agris, lawyer

"I don't think there'll be any. Even if it does happen, it'll be in sectors where Latvia needs workers. Our demographic situation means that every day there are fewer of us."

Juris, works in forestry

"There will not be a big flow because there's no great wealth here."