The Migration of Belarusians to Poland and The European Union: The Situation after August 2020
The situation in Belarus after the rigged presidential elections in August 2020 have been negatively affecting the economic condition of this country. In this context, a question may be asked about the further possible increase in the scale of migration from Belarus to Poland. In this paper – which is a summary of the report under the same title available in Polish on www.case-research.eu – we highlight main aspects related to labour migration paths of Belarusians to the European Union (EU), and especially to Poland. As evidence shows, this
path is still the most popular one for those wishing to leave Belarus for the EU.
The summary consists of three parts. The first lists the most crucial solutions introduced at the European Union (EU) level and specific solutions implemented in Poland, as well as – in a nutshell – in Lithuania and Germany. The second part includes a description of pull and push factors as well as an overview of the migration dynamic from Belarus to Poland in the years 2016–2021. It also presents the results of a research survey conducted amongst migrants from Belarus concerning, amongst other aspects, reasons for leaving and the migrants’ situation in their countries of destination, especially in Poland. The document concludes with drafting possible scenarios of migration from Belarus to the EU and with description of Poland’s potential to attract Belarusian migrants.
The work has been created under the Polish Development Cooperation Programme, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland in 2021 as part of the “Support for Democracy” programme.
