Study highlights fears around migration and terrorism in Latvia

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Latvian Institute of International Affairs researcher Sintija Broka highlights Latvian residents' fears related to migration and terrorism during the regional discussion cycle “How Safe Do You Feel in Europe?”. 

The discussion cycle is part of the European Commission's “EU Protects” campaign, which highlights local "ordinary heroes" and how they impact safety, health, the environment and society in Europe.

“When compared to the rest of the world, the European Union is very safe,” emphasises Broka in an interview with Latvian Radio. Many people from various institutions are working every day to protect EU citizens. Broka also points out that although there are many more averted terrorist attacks than executed ones, Latvia has yet to experience such an attack.

In her opinion, people are influenced in this respect by what they see and hear in the media.

"There are cases where these fears are completely unfounded. That's what we're trying to explain," says the researcher.

Regional discussions were held in Daugavpils, Liepāja, Valka, Cēsis and Jelgava. The discussions revealed that in the regions people are worried about economic security, as they don't feel the economic progress in their wallets. They also worried about disinformation. Opinions supporting Russia also were raised during the discussions, but on the whole people support the NATO troops that have been deployed to Latvia. They are considered to be a positive force.

The goal of the discussions was to increase understanding about security issues in Europe and international cooperation. The final discussion is taking place at the European Union House in Riga on November 1, which will close with the honoring of the European Commission's "EU Protects" campaign's Latvian ambassadors. The discussion will also be available on livestream at 14:00.

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