FLOWS OF PERSONS AND GOODS ACROSS THE POLISH SEGMENT OF THE OUTER BOUNDARY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION—RESULTS OF A RESEARCH PROJECT TOMASZ KOMORNICKI Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, Poland e-mail: t.komorn@twarda.pan.pl Abstract. In the paper the results of research project “Flows of persons and goods across the Polish segment of the outer boundary of the European Union” are presented. Primary objective of the project was to determine the influence exerted by the strengthening of the function of the political boundary (which took place after Poland had entered the European Union) on the magni- tude and structure of cross-boundary flows, in spatial perspective. The study concerned the flows of persons, vehicles and goods across three segments of the Polish national boundary, constituting, at the same time, the fragments of the boundary of the Union, namely those with Russia (Kaliningrad district), Belarus and Ukraine. Flows were analysed at the border according to the cros- sing points and the modes of transport (road and railway border crossings). Key words: Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, outer boundary of the European Union, flows of persons and goods, road and railway border crossing INTRODUCTION The research project, entitled “Flows of persons and goods across the Polish seg- ment of the outer boundary of the European Union” was carried out at the Insti- tute of Geography and Spatial Organisation of the Polish Academy of Sciences in the years 2007–2009. Its primary objective was to determine the influence exerted by the strengthening of the function of the political boundary (which took place after Poland had entered the European Union) on the magnitude and structure of cross- boundary flows, in spatial perspective. At the time the project was started, the terri- EUROPA XXI 2010, 20: 9-29 http://rcin.org.pl