This thesis sets out to examine the state of solidarity in the European Union (EU) and to establish whether the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programme is a suitable mechanism for addressing the challenges in the EU in this area. Political and social conditions within the EU's borders have changed markedly in the last few years (migration, natural disasters, etc.); this has been followed by reversals in the political arena, most frequently towards the extreme right and conservatism. Jean Claude Juncker, former president of the EU Commision acknowledged the necessity of a new EU programme that would promote greater solidarity among the youth, and encourage civil society to make more careful considerations of the ways in which solidarity in society might best be increased. My research enabled me to obtain a thorough insight into the state of solidarity as it appears on the political agenda, as well as in the effects of the ESC programme across various spheres of social life in the EU. The empirical part of the dissertation contains the results of an interview with and analysis of a focus group comprising experts from organisations (ESC applicants). My analysis of the specialist literature and arguments and of the results of the empirical part all indicate that solidarity is weak in the international political context, but a key issue at the local level – one that the mechanism of the ESC promotes by supporting national and local actors in their efforts to address the various social challenges and crises. The ESC programme works by multiplying solidarity at different levels of society, as the topics within the ESC projects carried out are varied, at the same as they reflect the greatest challenges facing European society.
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