Polish-Ukrainian Cross-Border Cooperation Opportunities and Challenges.

The geographical proximity of Poland and Ukraine not only favors cross-border cooperation between the two countries,
also makes it necessary to raise it to a higher level. Contemporary Polish–Ukrainian relations can generally be positively assessed. For obvious historical reasons, there are many unresolved and deep problems. Both nations must make many efforts to overcome them as quickly as possible. The geopolitics of Central and Eastern Europe and current threats and challenges faced by the region obviously affect the deepening mutual relations. The strategic partnership between Poland and Ukraine, though not easy and presenting a number of difficulties, is a fact. Both countries are aware of this. At the political level, it is currently associated mainly with the imperial threat from Russia. Vladimir Putin’s policy openly refers to the idea of great Russia, with the direct dependence or even conquest of “nearby-abroad” countries in the immediate vicinity. For Ukraine, Poland is certainly a country that successfully underwent a series of difficult political, economic and social reforms. Poland’s membership in NATO and the EU is another example for Ukraine’s good practices and any possible avoidance of negotiation difficulties in the pre-accession period. Poland is a good place for Ukrainians to undertake work and
study. The benefits of this fact are visible on both sides of the border. Poland thus gains support in the sectors of the economy that experience recruitment difficulties, while migrations 6 Introduction from Ukraine include people who come from a close social and cultural circle.
The border between Poland and Ukraine is still a huge barrier in mutual contacts. However, Poles and Ukrainians undertake specific, joint cross-border activities. This applies to many dimensions, primarily economic, social and cultural. This publication contains studies dealing with several opportunities and challenges in the mutual reactions between Poland and Ukraine. The authors of the texts mainly focused on political, economic and social conditions. The book is one of the effects of a project supporting cooperation between two
Universities: the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland and the Lutsk National Technical University, Ukraine within the Poland–Belarus–Ukraine 2014–2020 program.