A/63/339 1. Mission to Lithuania 32. The former mandate holder visited Lithuania from 16 to 19 September 2007, at the invitation of the Government. He submitted a report on the visit at the seventh session of the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/7/19/Add.4). The former mandate holder held meetings with State authorities and with civil society, representatives of minority communities and victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. 33. The former mandate holder concluded that there was a solid legal and institutional framework in place to tackle racism and discrimination in Lithuania, but that further steps needed to be taken to ensure the full and complete application of existing legislation. He highlighted the existence of a historical multicultural tradition in Lithuania that would be useful for overcoming the challenges that the country will face in the future. However, he found areas of concern, in particular regarding historical minorities, including people of Russian descent and some vulnerable groups, notably Romas and non-European new migrants. In particular, he noted with concern the profound discrimination faced by the Roma community, in particular in the fields of employment, education and housing. Non-European minorities had also faced growing problems in terms of racist violence and hate speech. Contrary to traditional minorities, which had been present in the country for decades or centuries, the new migrants posed new identity problems that needed to be overcome through the promotion of tolerance and multiculturalism. 34. The former mandate holder also emphasized the important historical moment that Lithuania was currently experiencing. After the restoration of its independence in 1990, Lithuania had started its integration into the globalized world, a process that carried a number of challenges demanding constant vigilance by authorities and civil society alike. The most important challenge for Lithuania, shared by all Baltic States, was to effect a balance between the continuity of its national identity and profound historical roots and the dynamic of a new multicultural identity inherited from its recent history. Another pressing challenge was to prepare its society for the arrival of new waves of non-European migrants bearing different traditions, cultures and religions. That challenge was also an opportunity to enrich Lithuanian society with more diversity, intercultural dialogue and interaction. 2. Mission to Latvia 35. The former mandate holder visited Latvia from 20 to 24 September 2007 at the invitation of the Government, submitting a report at the seventh session of the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/7/19/Add.3). He held meetings with authorities from the executive branch, including the Prime Minister, and the legislative and judicial branches, as well as civil society, representatives of minority communities and victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. 36. In his conclusions, the former mandate holder highlighted that Latvia had put in place legislation and a number of institutions aimed at tackling racism and discrimination. He further noted that Latvian society had a history of tolerance, multiculturalism and openness to distinct cultures, which could be a major asset in the deployment of efforts to eradicate racism and discrimination in the long term. 37. The former mandate holder found areas of concern, particularly in terms of three generally vulnerable groups and communities, who nonetheless presented 08-49342 9