Migration processes in Ukraine as a factor of Ukrainian-Slovak borderland development in 2014-2016

Abstract

Migration is one of the main factors that determined social, economic and demographic development of Ukraine in historical retrospective. At the current stage it continues to signifi cantly aff ect international relations with neighboring countries and the European Union aiming to implement common policy in migration issues. Th e main reasons of Ukrainians leaving abroad refer to political instability, redistribution of territory between the various governmental entities, search for better job opportunities and emigration of foreigners to Ukraine, which belongs to the list of states with the largest migration potential. In Ukraine the prevailing migration form is commuting (“incomplete migration”, “mobility”) which provides return from abroad aft er maximum 6 months, as a rule, when a migrant has received the desired income. Central European countries have become one of the major employment areas for Ukrainians due to complex of factors - geographical, cultural and mental closeness, lower transaction costs for shuttle visits “from” and “to” Ukraine. In particular, the Slovak Republic has been attractive for the residents of Zakarpattya; although it did not provide such opportunities for employment, as for example, the neighboring Czech Republic and Poland.