Frontex publishes Eastern Borders Annual Overview 2012.
The overall situation at the borders between Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the neighbouring Member States (Poland, Slovakia, Finland, Norway, Lithuania, Romania, Latvia, Hungary and Estonia) did not change significantly in 2011 compared to 2010.
The main challenges at these borders are linked to growing cross-border movements of regular travellers and illicit goods. Price differences and economic disparities in the border zones are the main drivers of smuggling activities. These remain the single largest threat to border security at the common borders between EU Member States and their eastern neighbors.
Cigarettes and fuel continue to be smuggled mostly towards the EU, while smuggling of stolen vehicles, household goods (ranging from groceries to electronics) follows the opposite direction. The Russian Federation, Belarus and Ukraine remain markets with significant purchasing power and high demand for second-hand vehicles such as motorbikes, cars, heavy machinery (agricultural and construction machines) and lorries.
The scale of irregular migration at the eastern borders is considered much smaller. Ukraine remains the main transit country for both Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and non-CIS irregular migrants (mostly Afghans and Somalis) aiming to reach the EU through its eastern borders. In addition, Ukraine is also the major route for migrants from the Caucasus region and Central Asian countries travelling towards (or from) the Russian Federation. It remains difficult to assess to what extent the two flows are linked.
Importantly, detections of illegal stay on exit from the EU towards Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine more than doubled in 2011 (from around 3 300 to around 6 900). The most significant increases were reported by Poland and Hungary and were largely linked to Ukrainian nationals. This trend could be a further indication of worsening job opportunities within the traditional destination Member States for Ukrainian migrants, i.e. Italy, Germany and Spain.