Building social solidarity through mutual trust

Abstract

Cases C-156/21 and C-152/21 established that the implementation of solidarity is based on mutual trust. This reference is of significant relevance given that trust is essential when risky decisions are made in troubled times. In this context, this article analyses whether mutual trust could be decisive to tackle unexpected challenges, such as the pandemic (or the war in Ukraine). With this goal in mind, the article dwells on the role of mutual trust in the EU. The article then examines the link between mutual trust and social solidarity in the program Next Generation EU. Finally, it inquires which kind of social solidarity might derive from mutual trust. The goal is to assess if mutual trust is a transformative principle that may trigger an impulse towards social solidarity within the EU.