European solidarity: where do we stand? Should we foster it and how?

Synthesis of the 2010 edition of the « European Forum of Think Tanks » was organised by Notre Europe in Barcelona, 30 September-1 October 2010.

The « European Forum of Think Tanks » – which is organised by Notre Europe – brings together, every 18 months, not only Europe’s most dynamic think tanks, but also high-calibre European and national politicians, leaders form the business sector, trade unions, and the media. Such diversity is the Forum’s “trademark”, with the overall goal being to promote group-level reflection and debate on key issues in EU affairs.

The 2010 edition of the « European Forum of Think Tanks » was organised by Notre Europe in Barcelona, along with the Generalitat de Catalunya and the CIDOB, and in partnership with Aspen France, Agence Europe and the members of the European Policy Institutes Network (EPIN). The edition was devoted to European solidarity: where do we stand? Should we foster it and how?

How to define solidarity? What are the different significations that the notion covers concerning inter- and intra-state relations? How has the economic and monetary crisis affected European solidarity? What is the external dimension of European solidarity, and in particular what does it mean when applied to the EU’s energy policy? These are the questions that were addressed in Barcelona and to a certain extent answered in this review.