European borders are undergoing significant changes. In the context of integration, the function of those borders is changing – a volume of permeability is rising, and the process of reterritorialization takes place, so the activities of states are reaching out of their politically defined territories. However, these changes do not only concern the internal space of the EU, but also its edges.
To increase security, prosperity, and quality of life, the EU seeks to stimulate multilayered cross-border cooperation, especially in the East. Non-member countries, like Ukraine, are thus becoming part of European integration. The Polish-Ukrainian borderland finds itself in a controversial situation. The boundary here increases throughput and acts as a bridge for cooperation. However, the securitization of the external border develops its barrier function and thus strengthens its symbolic role as the border of civilizational differences between East and West.
The author will present her research project focused to analyze changes in the external European border’s functions and their impact on the region. The project provides a systematical analysis of the objectifiable changes – (geo)political and economic; and the subjective role of those changes – their perception and impacts on the quality of life of the local population. It aims to compare the manifestations of these changes on both sides of the border – in the member (EU) and non-member part of the region.
Mots clés : borders|cross-border cooperation|Poland|Ukraine|EU integration
A103787AS