Abstract
The appeal for more solidarity is a recurring pattern in political discussions of how to cope with the crises the European Union (EU) confronts. This became most palpable in two major challenges—the Eurozone crisis and the refugee and migrant crisis. However, there is a yawning gap between the rhetorical commitment to solidarity and member states’ practices of solidarity: Even though the EU and its members regularly refer to solidarity as one of their fundamental values, the concept regularly fails to translate into concrete and common action. This lack of solidarity when it comes to problem resolution not only renders solidarity a weak principle within the EU’s political framework; it also precludes more effective crisis management. Drawing on the works of Ludwig Wittgenstein as well as (neo)pragmatism, this paper argues that a language- and practice-based reading can offer a new perspective on solidarity as one of the EU’s fundamental values. It can also explain why solidarity does not play a more vital role in the EU today, especially in times of crisis, when it is most needed.
Highlights
Solidarity in times of crisisThe previous section has shown how a practice-based reading of solidarity can avoid an essentialist definition of solidarity that is present in most political discussions, and even a major part of the scientific literature on solidarity in the context of the European Union (EU)
I am convinced much more solidarity is needed
Looking at the manifold uses of solidarity in the crises of the European Union (EU), it is interesting to see how this strategic invocation of solidarity by the member states and EU institutions has not, underpinned the concept, but rather made it a weak point of reference and a floating signifier that seems to be interpreted by political actors on a case-by-case basis depending on member states’ interests rather than serving as a value and principle guiding common action
Summary
The previous section has shown how a practice-based reading of solidarity can avoid an essentialist definition of solidarity that is present in most political discussions, and even a major part of the scientific literature on solidarity in the context of the EU. It has been shown that such definition builds on an artificial distinction between the conceptual and the empirical, and that a practice-based concept of enacted solidarity could be a fruitful supplement to these debates in that it asks for how solidarity translates into concrete action. Based on this theoretical background, this section discusses the concept of solidarity in the empirical context of two major EU crises of the last decade: the Eurozone and the refugee crises. Based on a practice-based reading of the concept outlined, this analysis does not seek to identify mere references to solidarity in political declarations, claims and common action plans. It critically assesses instances in which the EU and its member states invoked the solidarity concept, and examines the extent to which these have been connected to practices of voluntariness, selflessness and identification
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