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The historic events of Gdansk the Polish city in which the struggle against Communism began in 1980 and the start of the Solidarity movement in Poland, whose twenty-fifth anniversary we currently celebrate, have a resonance and a pertinence for all those involved with the project of European construction today. The solidarity that was demonstrated in 1980s Poland was not just a momentary phenomenon. Solidarity in itself is a guiding principle for the polity. It is an ensemble of responsibilities and interests which allows its advocates to achieve greater ends as a collectivity than as individuals. A re-clarification of what we understand the concept of solidarity to mean is essential within the present EU debate. Strengthening this principle at the EU level could provide edifying results and engender a European identity that has long been lacking. If the European project is to progress, its member states need to appreciate solidarity as a tool for consensus building. As the prevention of war provided the original catalyst for the creation of the EU, today’s common anxieties and fears could provide in good part the common adversary with which to foster the concrete expression of a European consciousness and the willingness to act and think as one. Member states must come to realise that they can no longer act in the national interest alone as our interests are increasingly collective. In the immediate future the decisions taken on the EU financial perspectives must reflect the principle of solidarity. Investing in those regions and member states that are struggling, be that economically or socially, will in the long term have decidedly positive results for the EU as a whole. Attempts to promote growth and economic prosperity in each of the 25 member states can be only to the universal good. Yet the application of solidarity is not solely reserved for the provision of resources. Citizens and political leaders of the European Union must realise that from the EU’s inception and evolution, solidarity has been a central organising principle of the new political method. It presupposes an equality of expression for all of the member states around the decision-making table, regardless of size, and acts as an instrument for reaching consensus together on even the most difficult decisions. Hence larger member states, according to the new political method, no longer have the ability to ride roughshod over the smaller states. This new method ended the balance of power politics which has plagued Europe. A new praxis of decision-making has emerged as a means for balancing power and finding consensus in policy making. All member states are solicited to act in the interests of all, which at times may require sacrifices. By enacting the principle of solidarity, the goal of the common European good overtakes that of pure national self-interest. This in turn creates tangible results enjoyed by all citizens. In faithfully applying the principle of solidarity, the European Union has the vector to carry the European project forward.
