Documents Pornschlegel, Sophie 4 results

"Companies around the world are facing profound changes. The megatrends of globalization, digitization and demographic change are affecting many areas of life and present challenges to social cohesion: what about solidarity in a globalized world economy? How do algorithms and social media influence our living together? How can we shape coexistence in an increasingly diverse society in the future? The study sheds light on these issues and, with the help of focus questions at the end of each chapter, stimulates debate on shaping the cohesion of the future.

The study was created at the "Trying Times - Rethinking Social Cohesion" conference in Berlin from 4 to 6 September 2019 and serves as a background for the cooperation of the participants at the conference."

"Civil society is a crucial ally in safeguarding and upholding the European Union's (EU) values. And although the EU, and in particular the European Commission, has made a conscious effort to support civil society organisations (CSOs) across Europe, it has not been enough to counter the phenomenon of 'shrinking spaces' effectively.

As the COVID-19 crisis is likely to harm civil society across Europe, through the growing restrictions on civil liberties and the subsequent economic recession, the need for better and more comprehensive support has never been more urgent.

Within the realm of the Treaties, the EU institutions could take a range of measures to improve its civil society support. It could come up with a more comprehensive strategy outlining its approach towards civil society; provide adequate and flexible financial resources to respond to the needs of CSOs; and improve its dialogue processes, to 'CSO-proof' its legislation but also to benefit from the bridge-building function of civil society, thereby linking the EU's support for civil society to its attempts to improve democratic participation.

While the newly presented recovery instrument and the revised proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) are important steps to provide the necessary help for European societies and economies to recover, civil society support does not seem to be a priority. This is a dangerous omission. The EU must recognise the value of civil society in safeguarding democratic principles and upholding the Union's core principles. If it fails to better support CSOs through this challenging time, the EU will be able to do little else but stand and watch as democratic backsliding intensifies across member states and, in some cases, will eventually tip over into a downward spiral towards authoritarianism."

"The concept of 'EU solidarity' is often used by European leaders in times of crisis to shore up calls for cooperation between EU member states and justify joint decision-making. But while interstate solidarity between EU countries based on reciprocity and enlightened self-interest is relatively well-developed, there is little to no interpersonal solidarity between European citizens on the one hand and between EU institutions and citizens on the other. This lack of transnational solidarity could threaten Europe's social cohesion and, thus, European integration in the long run.

If EU solidarity is to be more than a buzzword, European leaders must prioritise solidarity in their political agenda and give the concept more substance. Sophie Pornschlegel puts forward four recommendations on how to go about it:

The EU should rethink its concept of solidarity: move away from a purely transactional understanding and shift towards a definition that allows for the emergence of solidarity between European citizens.
The EU's cohesion agenda should be consolidated and widened to include interstate and interpersonal solidarity mechanisms rather than only interterritorial ones.
The EU should better support national solidarity mechanisms, as they are the basis for social cohesion in the EU27.
The EU should establish the conditions necessary for interpersonal solidarity to emerge in Europe.

These recommendations are based on an analysis of the origins, forms and dimensions of solidarity at the EU level. The Issue Paper also explores how EU solidarity has evolved through multiple crises in the past few decades before looking specifically at the solidarity mechanisms - and their limitations - set up during the COVID-19 crisis. "