The influence of the EU's eastern frontier on the socioeconomic situation of border areas

For several decades, Poland's eastern border was a spatial barrier hindering any development of near-border regions, which were thus afflicted by unfavourable demographic processes and growing peripheralization. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, more positive experiences of development associated with the opening of the border became apparent. However, Poland's accession to the European Union (EU) and the Schengen area limited flows of people and goods once more. Is it true, then, to say that today's eastern frontier of the Union is a spatial barrier limiting borderland socioeconomic development? Or perhaps the reverse is true, with the EU frontier actually stimulating local development? To address such questions, this paper discusses research carried out in Poland's Lubelskie Province (voivodship), which borders both Belarus and Ukraine. The research is based on extensive interviews with representatives of local authorities and on questionnaires distributed among residents of the communes (gminas) located in closest proximity to the border. The results obtained show that socioeconomic development is first and foremost present near border crossings, reflecting both EU support for improved border-crossing infrastructure and local-level entrepreneurship reflecting locational benefits, especially for firms in the services, commerce and logistic sectors. In turn, areas located further away from border crossings are seen to feature distinct economic peripheralization, to the extent that the EU's external frontier has to be perceived as a spatial barrier that hinders local development.