Transnational Solidarity in Times of Crisis – Challenge or Chance for European Cohesion?

Abstract

Solidarity has become a key issue within the European Union. Ongoing conflict between member states about financial solidarity with weak states and a fair burden-sharing in regard to the high numbers of refugees shows the difficulties of living up the standards of solidarity and cohesion recurrently addressed by the EU. However, do these observations apply to the level of the citizenry and of civil societies in Europe? The current developments are ambivalent, because the raise of solidarity initiatives in many issue fields is as notable as the spread of populist groups and movements across Europe. Against this backdrop, this panel seeks to shed light on this underdeveloped research field. It aims to answer a number of basic questions: - What does transnational solidarity mean at the level of citizens and civil societies? Does our conceptual and theoretical understanding of solidarity help to address the specificities of European solidarity? - On which kind of activities and practices, ideas and beliefs is European solidarity based at the level of individuals and civil societies? Are there differences between countries and issue areas? And is solidarity changing in times of crisis? - What are the contextual factors that matter in promoting or inhibiting transnational solidarity at the individual and organizational level? What is the effect of legal, political, administrative or economic contexts?