Taking Responsibility? the Euro Crisis and the Problem of ‘Solidarity’ in the European Union: The Cases of Germany, Ireland and Poland

‘Solidarity’ is one of the core principles of the EU, as laid down in the EU treaties. Since the start of the ‘Euro crisis’ in 2010, calls for European solidarity have taken on a new life, particularly in the context of bailout mechanisms between the so-called ‘debtor’ and ‘creditor’ member states. Drawing on qualitative frame analysis of crisis debates in the press in Germany, Ireland and Poland, this paper argues that appeals for European solidarity are hindered by differing public conceptualisations of European solidarity and identity between member states. For example, a limited solidarity is envisaged in Germany, that is, solidarity attached to conditions such as economic reforms. In Ireland, however, these bailout conditions are seen as an infringement of the EU principle of solidarity, which is understood primarily as distribution from rich to poor. In Poland, solidarity has a particularly historical connotation which relates to solidarity between people through representative democratic institutions. These different conceptualisations contribute to the increasing divisions between member states present in the public sphere, particularly between “Core” and “Periphery” and “North” and “South”, and complicate the struggle for a European identity to support deeper economic integration in the Eurozone