Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
The specifi city of cross-border mobility in the context of Ukrainian-Polish
cooperation
Paper peer-reviewed by Viktor Borshchevskyy, PhD
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Summary
The intensity and extent of cross-border mobility at the Ukrainian-Polish border are caused by various types of movement of residents of the frontier areas such as tourist trips, shuttle migration or trade, obtaining of various types of residence permits in Poland, etc.
Several millions of Ukrainian tourists annually come to Poland. In terms of spendings dur- ing the stay in Poland, Ukraine takes one of the fi rst places. This is facilitated by several factors: a tourist visa to Poland is more aff ordable in our country, and people can use their personal transport and avoid spending money on airline tickets.
Shuttle migration or even shuttle trade is growing due to residents of seven frontier ar- eas, who mainly travel for the purposes of goods sale/purchase. These are the so-called shopping visas obtained following a simplifi ed procedure, which are mainly issued for travel for goods purchasing purposes.
Ukrainians receive a variety of residence permits in Poland. These include: a permission to stay permanently; a temporary residence permit; a Pole’s card, or a residence permit is- sued on the basis of provided evidence of their Polish ethnic origin; a resident of the Euro- pean Union. Multifunctional document ‘a permission to stay permanently’, for permanent residence, gives you an opportunity to study, work and do business in Poland. Most often, the basis for obtaining a temporary residence permit is work, studying in Poland with the issuance of ‘a temporary residence permit’, the other reason may be family reunifi cation.
All these types of cross-border mobility are caused by various factors: travel motives, fi nancial opportunities, visa policy etc., and regulated both by Ukrainian and Polish legis- lative acts. An important aspect of statutory regulation of these movements is timely re- sponse to the public challenges in the fi eld of Ukrainian-Polish cross-border cooperation at the state and regional levels.
Introduction
Currently, offi cial strategic partnership has already been established between Ukraine and Poland. Due to strong cultural and historical links between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, the changes in the system of interstate relations are distinguished for positive dynamics and are manifested in the development of many directions: economic coopera- tion, achievement of foreign policy goals, cooperation in the academic community, pop- ulation migration regulation, etc. The similarity between Ukraine and the Republic of Po- land, caused by common history, geographical position, commensurability of territory and demographic factors, has shaped the situation when both countries are faced with similar problems in the fi eld of migration. In particular, both Polish and Ukrainian citizens leave for abroad en masses looking for employment; both countries are transit territories for the international fl ow of illegal migration; both Poland and Ukraine are gradually being trans- formed into the fi nal destination for migrants from remote third world countries.
The intensity and the scope of cross-border mobility at the Ukrainian-Polish border are caused by various relocations of the residents of frontier territories – these are tourist trips, shuttle migration or trade, getting various permissions for study, work or residence in Po- land, etc. Thus, cross-border mobility stands for relocation of individuals who cross inter- state borders for any purpose and for a rather short period. In this case horizontal reloca- tions, limited in time, which do not presuppose employment and inclusion into the system of social relations of the host society, are meant. In general, there should be outlined the following varieties of cross-border mobility: tourism; pilgrimage; educational and schol- arly mobility; shuttle migration of small businessmen buying goods in the neighbouring country and selling them already in the Ukrainian territory, unregulated mobility, etc. And migration of individuals for remunerated employment purposes in the country of which (s)he is not a citizen is called cross-border labour migration by the researchers113. Here a rather long migration is meant, during which the individual is included into the system of social relations, holds a certain position in the social structure of the recipient society.
Temporary labour migrants mainly employed at seasonal works in agriculture or construc- tion; long-term labour migrants; persons who have obtained residence permit due to mar- riage, etc. may serve as an example here.
113 The Processes of Social Mobility in the Modern Ukrainian Society: coll. monograph / [Balakirieva О.М., Sereda Yu.V., Dmytruk D.А. et al.]; ed. by Ph.D (sociology) О.М.Balakirieva; National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, SU ‘Institute of Economics and Prognostication of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukriane’. – К., 2014.
– 288 pp. – P.172
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Due to this there is a need to study the specifi city and the trends of current cross-border mobility to Poland. Due to the fact that modern processes of cross-border mobility be- tween Ukraine and Poland are becoming more and more intense and constitute an im- portant component of the foreign policy of both states, this issue constitutes the subject of study for many Polish and Ukrainian authors. Such range of problems in Poland, based on numerous fi eld studies, is described by K. Gmaj, K. Iglicka, P. Karczmarczyk, M. Kindler, M. Jaroszewicz. As far as Ukrainian authors are concerned, their papers are mainly done in the context of general overview of Polish-Ukrainian migration processes. Among them there can be pointed out О. Malynovska, І. Markov, O. Poznyak, O. Pyatkovska, U. Sadova.
An important component of strategic partnership between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland is interregional cooperation, which serves as a practical mechanism of imple- mentation of the European standards regionally and locally. Currently, Ukraine has got the best developed network of interregional cooperation with the Republic of Poland. Many regions of Ukraine and voivodships of Poland have concluded agreements of interregional cooperation. Moreover, the process of bilateral partnership agreement conclusion at the level of cities, towns, raions and urban villages from the Ukrainian side and cities, towns, poviats and gminas from the Polish side shows a sustainable upward tendency114. Now Poland as the EU Member State, as compared to other Member States, particularly focuses on relations with its eastern partners. This work is most active in this context, in particular, with such countries as Belarus and Ukraine. This ‘eastern fl ow’ is also present at the national level in the Polish immigration legislation.
Assessing the scale of potential mobility of Ukrainians, let us address the results of the survey conducted by the Sociology Group ‘Rating’ in September 2017115. 61% of the respondents claimed that they would not be willing to go abroad for permanent resi- dence. At the same time, 35% claimed that they would have such a wish, 4% more – that they are not yet clear with their answer. The highest percentage of those who would like to change their place of residence can be traced among the residents of Western
114 Interregional Cooperation between Ukraine and Poland. [Electronic resource]. – Access mode: http://poland.
mfa.gov.ua /ua/ ukraine-pl/regions (10.10.2017)
115 The Audience: Ukrainian Residents Aged 18 and Above. A Representative Selection by Age, Gender, Re- gion and Type of Settlement. Selective integrity: 1,200 respondents. Personal formalized interview (face- to-face). Representation error in the study: no more than 2.8%. The period of holding: September 8-18, 2017. The study has been ordered by the All-Ukrainian Association of Companies Dealing with Interna- tional Employment. – Access mode: http://ratinggroup.ua/research/ukraine/dinamika_migracionnyh_
nastroeniy_ukraincev.html (20.09.2017)
Ukraine (41%). In the south there are 34% of them, in the centre – 33%, in the east – 33%.
Among young people (aged 18-35) the number of those willing to move for a permanent place of residence abroad is 54%. While among the representatives of the senior gener- ation only 19% would be eager to. The percentage of those who would like to emigrate is a bit higher among people with higher education and wealthier ones. At the same time, attention should be paid to the fact that among those who have worked abroad, the number of prospective migrants is smaller than among those who are only willing to fi nd a job abroad.
The most frequent reasons urging the respondents to think of emigration are the hope to get better conditions for living (64%). The wish to provide a better future for children as the reason for moving to another country has been mentioned by 34%, absence of decent job in Ukraine – 23%, the wish to get better education – 12%. Less than 10%
have indicated lack of security in Ukraine, the possibility of getting better health care provision, better conditions for doing business, the wish for self-fulfi lment, family rea- sons. No more than 1% of the respondents are willing to leave due to value confl ict and political persecution. Getting better conditions for living as the reason for possible emi- gration was mostly frequently mentioned by the residents in the east of the country, the wish to provide a better future for children – in the south, absence of decent job – in the west. Young people mention the wish to emigrate due to absence of jobs and self-fulfi l- ment opportunities a bit more frequently, while older people rather mention the sense of danger and better medicine. 44% of the respondents expressed their wish to work / get a job abroad. In the regional cross-section the diff erence in the issue is not substan- tial. But a considerable diff erence in age categories can be traced: among young people 68% are willing to get a job abroad, among middle-aged people – 52%, and among the oldest – only 20%.
The main motivation for working abroad mostly mentioned by the respondents is higher salary rate in other countries (72%). Better working conditions, the wish to earn mon- ey for housing (study of children, medical treatment of relatives, etc.), self-fulfi lment as professionals, higher quality of social protection as the reason for the willingness to get a job abroad has been mentioned by 16-20% of the respondents. 7% determined the pos- sibility to start one’s own business and the willingness to get the experience of working in international companies as the reasons, for each.
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Most frequently the country where the respondents who have expressed their wish to get a job abroad would be willing to work was Germany (37%). 26% would like to work in Poland, 22% – in the USA, 21% – in Canada, 16% – in Czech, 15% – in Italy, 14% – in Great Britain, 12% – in France or Sweden, 11% – in Israel, 9% – in Spain, 7% – in the Netherlands, 6% – in Russia. Less than 5% of the respondents would like to work in other countries.
Germany, the USA, Czech and Great Britain as the desirable countries for work were most frequently selected by the residents of the west, Russia – by the respondents from the east.
At the same time, 80% of the respondents claim that visa-free regime with the EU will lead to the increased leaving of the Ukrainian working population abroad, and only 13%
think diff erently. Also, almost three quarters of the respondents are convinced that sim- plifi cation of the conditions for employment of Ukrainians by Poland and Hungary is rath- er an action aimed at improvement of the economy of those countries than a friendly step towards Ukraine116.
Thus, one third of Ukrainians are prospective migrants, and half of them are young peo- ple; the basic motivation for going abroad is to get better conditions for living and work- ing – due to a higher salary rate in other countries. Poland takes the second place with one third of those willing to get a job abroad.
The reasons for cross-border mobility of Ukrainians to Poland
Traditional factors of cross-border mobility are geographic and cultural proximity of the Ukrainian and Polish peoples. There should be pointed out low migration risks for Ukrain- ians going to Poland as compared to other recipient countries. The fact is that the easiest way to get to the Polish state is in the status of a legal migrant, if all procedural aspects are taken into account. And recently people have preferred legal stay in that country, which fact is refl ected in the statistical data117.
In general, cross-border mobility to the Republic of Poland is caused by various reasons.
Some of them are related to personal contacts between the residents of both countries,
116 Dynamics of Migration Moods of Ukrainians. – Access mode: http://ratinggroup.ua/research/ukraine/
dinamika_migracionnyh_nastroeniy_ukraincev.html
117 Ukrainians Migrate to Poland en Masses [Electronic resource]. – Express. – 07. 11. 2016. – Access mode: www.
expres.ua/digest/2016/11/07/211706-ukrayinci-masovo-migruyut-polshchi (10.10.2017)
and the grounds for this are the so called guest invitations. Some trips are made within the academic exchange: educational migration, scientifi c conferences, symposia, proba- tion, etc. Migration to Poland is caused by some cultural factors. In particular, Ukrainian tourists are attracted by the diversity of cultural events that are often recognized and are popular in the world. Also, Poland can be proud of its numerous historical memorials and monuments.
However, the most intensive are economically stipulated border crossings. In particu- lar, the aim of Ukrainians going to Poland for economic purposes is either employment in the neighbouring country, or sale/purchase of goods, the so called shuttle trade. Po- litical emigration to Poland is also currently topical, viz. for displaced persons from the occupied territories in the east of Ukraine as well as from the AR of Crimea. We provide more detailed information on all the categories of Ukrainians in Poland.
Intensifi cation of cross-border mobility of Ukrainians towards the EU is promoted by the local border traffi c agreements concluded with Poland in 2008. Under them the citizens residing in the frontier area may travel to the neighbouring countries without a visa, go- ing to their territory to the distance from 30 km (Poland) up to 50 km (other neighbour- ing states). For instance, according to the data of surveys of international passengers, the residents of the 30-kilometre frontier area make up almost 65% of all Polish border crossings118.
Tourist practices as a type of cross-border mobility
Lately tourism in Poland has been developing at a fast pace, and this industry has be- come an important component of the Polish economy. All in all, currently Poland takes the seventh place in the world by the number of foreign tourists coming to the country119. The reasons for tourism growth in the country are quite clear. Poland is a very diverse country, famous for availability of a large number of cultural and historical monuments, part of which belong to the UNESCO protected heritage. Here one may fi nd some activity and spend time to his or her taste. A great number of Polish tourist companies are now ready to meet tourists and off er various tours to guests: skiing resorts in the Carpathians
118 Border Traffi c and Movement of Goods and Services at the European Union’s External Border on the Territory of Poland in 2013 / Central Statistical Offi ce, Statistical Offi ce in Rzeszow. – Warsaw-Rzeszow, 2014. http://
rzeszow.stat.gov.pl/en/publications/border-areas/border-traffi c-and-movement-of-goods-and-services- atthe-european-unions-external-border-on-the-territory-of-poland-in-2013,2,5.html (10.10.2017) 119 Ibid.
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in winter and vacation at the Baltic seaside in summer, excursions to fortresses and cas- tles of Poland and ancient Polish cities and towns, eco-tourism, and many other things.
It should be noted that it is much cheaper to have a vacation in Poland than in other countries of the European Union. Several million tourists come to Poland annually from Ukraine. The popularity of Poland in our country is caused by several factors. First, tourist visa to Poland is more accessible in this country. And secondly, it is easy to go to Poland independently, by your own car, saving rather substantial amounts of money on airline tickets.
There should be pointed out the most popular types of tourist practices: excursion and experiential tourism; skiing tourism; recreation and treatment (medical) and religious (pilgrimage) tourism, etc.
All in all, annually Poland is visited by almost two millions of Ukrainian tourists. Over the fi rst three quarters of 2015 the number of Ukrainians going to the country on Vistula increased by 3.6%. And as stated by the Polish radio, currently 40% of all trips made by Ukrainians abroad are to Poland120. The same source tells us that until recently Ukraini- ans have been the second largest group of tourists visiting Poland, but now they have been outpaced by the British. However, the citizens of Ukraine spend more money in the country on Vistula than Germans, – 460 USD per one trip. In 2016 the Polish Consulate issued 560 thousand visas for short-stay trips, this exceeding 40% of all the Schengen visas issued in Ukraine121. According to the information provided by the Polish tourist organization, recently Ukrainians have been coming to Poland more in summer and have been choosing the following directions: the Baltic seaside, Warmia and Mazury, as well as Podlasie122. According to the data of the Polish statistics agencies, Ukrainians take one of the fi rst places by the amounts of money spent during their stay in Poland. One may of- ten understand who has come from what place by the purchases. Austrians, for example, like to choose souvenirs-amber decorations. Spaniards like buying gift guides in Poland, while Americans like books and maps. Tourists from Ukraine normally take clothes, shoes and cosmetics home from Poland.
120 Priadko V. The Number of Ukrainian Tourists in Poland Is Growing [Electronic resource] / V. Priadko // The Polish Radio. – 02. 01. 2016. – Access mode: http://www.polradio.pl/5/38/Artykul/235007 (10.10.2017) 121 The Friends of Ukraine, or the Statistics of Schengen Consulates for 2016 [Electronic resource]. – Dnipro. – 31.
03. 2017. – Access mode: http://msdnipro.com/novini-ukrainu/druzi-ukrayini-abo-statistika-shengenskih- konsulstv-u-2016-rotsi.html (10.10.2017)
122 Ukrainian Tourists Have Outpaced the German Ones in Poland [Electronic resource]. – Express. – 03. 01. 2016.
– Access mode: http://expres.ua/news/ 2016/01/03/167258-ukrayinski-turysty-perevershyly-nimeckyh- polshchi (10.10.2017)
Assessing the scope and varieties of tourist practices in Ukraine, one may say that the number of foreign tourists visiting it in 2016, increased by 5.6%, as compared to 2015 – reaching 13.6 mln. persons, as stated in the report of the Ministry of Economic Devel- opment and Trade (MEDT) on the basis of the data provided by the State Borderguard Service of Ukraine123. According to this data, foreign tourists visiting Ukraine in 2016 were mainly the citizens of Moldova – they made up 32.9%, or 4.474 mln. persons. At the same time Poles constituted 8.8% (1.195 mln. persons). The document states that 95.3%
of tourists visiting Ukraine in 2016 indicated ‘personal goals’ as the motivation behind the trip, 2% – ‘transit’, 1.3% – ‘tourism’, 1.1% – ‘other purposes’, 0.2% – ‘business purposes’.
According to the report, in 2015 the number of foreign tourists in Ukraine went down by 1.3% (0.2 mln. persons) as compared to 2014 – up to 12.9 mln. persons.
The structure of foreign tourists is determined by the duration of their stay in the country of destination (the higher income the tourist has and the longer (s)he stays at the desti- nation place, the more money (s)he spends there). Out of all foreign tourists 94% coming to Ukraine and 74% coming to Poland are from the neighbouring countries, with which there are no customs barriers124. Ukraine and Poland have got a common land border with the main countries-suppliers of tourists (Russia for Ukraine and Germany for Poland).
As the result, 88% of trips to Ukraine and 77% of trips to Poland are of unorganized na- ture and are made for private or business reasons. Many visitors come from the frontier territories looking for cheap goods and services. Such trips are short and regular, which makes the income per one arrival considerably smaller. For example, the share of short- stay tourist trips (1–3 nights) to Poland makes 54%.
To sum up the above, it should be noted that Poland carries out an effi cient policy in the fi eld of tourism, has got effi cient mechanisms of its implementation, based on adequate regulatory legal and institutional provision. Such active policy of Poland is absolutely justifi ed, and according to the data of the World Tourism Organization, it contributes to positive dynamics of tourist practices and income, therefore it could well become a pos- itive sample to follow for the respective Ukrainian authorities. To develop specifi c rec- ommendations that would be of applied nature, it is worth doing further research in the given direction, study each mechanism of tourist policy implementation separately, and
123 The Number of Tourists Coming to Ukraine in 2016 Has Grown by 5.6%. – Access mode: https://ukr.
segodnya.ua/ukraine/chislo-turistov-v-ukrainu-v-2016-godu-vyroslo-na-56-1013073.html (10.10.2017) 124 Comparative Analysis of the Development of International (Foreign) Tourism in Ukraine and Poland. Access
mode: http://infotour.in.ua/korol.htm (10.10.2017)