THE NEW MIGRATION WAVE FROM UKRAINE TO EU COUNTRIES: SCALE, FACTORS, CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

The full-scale war ignited by the Russian Federation caused a huge wave of migrants from Ukraine to EU countries. It drastically changed the situation in political and socio-economic areas in Ukraine and the host countries. The current situation with migration is unpredictable and it is reaching a catastrophic scale. It makes a threat to the national security of Ukraine. Preventing the collapse of the country's economy is impossible without a balanced government policy in this area. The purpose of this paper is to study the new wave of migration from Ukraine to European countries after the beginning of the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation on February 24, 2022, update data on the scale of forced migration of Ukrainians to European countries, analyze the influence of factors affecting the size of migration flows of forced migrants from Ukraine to European countries, and the consequences inflicted by this wave.In our research we systematized data on the number of Ukrainian forced migrants in various European countries, analyzed statistical data on the amounts of financial support received by Ukrainian forced migrants in various European countries and examined data on the number of job vacancies in European countries. Based on these data, we ran a correlation analysis of the relationship between the number of Ukrainian forced migrants and the amount of monthly financial support, and the number of job vacancies. The factors influencing the allocation of Ukrainian forced migrants among European countries were identified and systematized. We demonstrated the importance of considering these factors for solving the problem of the return of Ukrainian forced migrants to Ukraine.We conclude that the amount of financial support is not closely related to the number of Ukrainian migrants in a certain country. More significant is the influence of the factor of the opportunity to get a job and adapt to living conditions in new countries. This indicates the intentions of Ukrainian forced migrants to stay in these countries for a long time, and possibly stay in these countries in the future. To facilitate the return of forced migrants to Ukraine and reduce migration losses in the country, it is proposed to develop a government program for the return of Ukrainian forced migrants, which would cover institutional, organizational and economic dimensions, and would apply the practice of European countries.