Small border traffic in Belarus: the implementation and development prospects
Journal Title: Вісник Київського національного університету імені Тараса Шевченка, серія «Географія» - Year 2016, Vol 64, Issue 1
Abstract
Characteristics and problems of the organization of the small border traffic (SBT) in Belarus have been described. SBT is regarded as one of the possible forms of integration of Belarus into the community of countries of the European Union (EU). The key features of the introduction of the SBT as a tool of the interim procedure easing of the visa regime with EU countries are disclosed. The article presents examples of objective economic and social disadvantages of the introduction of the SBT. The evidence and examples of SBT between EU and Ukraine, Russia, Belarus provided is based on the analysis of statistics of border crossing, sociological surveys. The development stages of SBT in Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine have been analyzed. The economic and geographic peculiarities of functioning of the SBT revealed key problems of its revitalization have been analyzed. The article discusses the political, economic (trade), social, ethnic and cultural reasons for the refusal of the Belarusian authorities of the introduction of SBT. Belarus has been signed an agreement on SBT with all neighboring countries of EU – Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Currently, there are only an agreement with the Republic of Latvia. The scope of this agreement covers about 285 thousand of people on both sides of boundary. However only about 4% of the population of border areas benefit from SBT. Most of the persons who have received permission to STB live in Latvia. This fact indicates that the fears of the Belarusian authorities over the significant growth of visits to neighboring EU countries with the introduction of SBT are exaggerated. In addition, according to the data of the Statistical Office of Poland based on the claimed checks on VAT refunds Belarusian resident was carried out only 14% of total cash costs in the 30-kilometer zone on the territory of Poland in 2014. Moreover, the proportion of multipleentry visas, which are issued by the consular offices of the EU neighboring countries, is increasing. This figure rose to 36% in 2010 to 66% in 2015. About 80% of the total number of Schengen visas (type “C”) issued by the consular offices of the Polish residents of Belarus are multiple. The total number of Schengen visas issued to residents of Belarus exceeded 750 thousand in 2015. Thus, the economic and technical reasons for the postponement of the introduction of SBT with Poland and Lithuania are not objective. On the other hand, as the experience of SBT in Russia and Ukraine the EU uses SBT as a way to get away from the transition to a visa-free regime.
Authors and Affiliations
D. Nikityuk, A. Sidarovich
Keywords
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- EP ID EP243683
- DOI 10.17721/1728-2721.2016.64.11
- Views 108
- Downloads 0
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