The aim of the project entitled 'European solidarity at stake', comprising nine conferences, is to analyse and discuss threats and key factors with respect to political and economic solidarity in the European Union.A first group of conferences will explore threats to European solidarity and at the same time discuss opportunities to strengthen European solidarity and integration: migration of refugees to Europe (conference no. 1), diverging economic and financial developments in EU member states (conference no. 4), and the possibility of Turkey acceding to the European Union (conference no. 7).A second group of conferences will debate how, in terms of EU internal dimensions, institutions and a common understanding on values promote and strengthen political and economic solidarity in the EU. The European Commission (conference no. 5) and the European Central Bank (conference no. 8) will be considered as institutional safeguards for European solidarity. The meaning of solidarity in open and pluralistic societies will be discussed in another conference (conference no. 3). A final conference in this group will explore commonalities and differences in German and Polish values in order to seek common ground to foster European solidarity (conference no. 2).A third group of conferences will analyse, in terms of EU external dimensions, how trade and development policy is able to promote political and economic stability in other countries in order to mitigate external crises and their effects on Europe. For that purpose, trade defence instruments (conference no. 6) and strategies for sustainable development policy in EU partner countries (conference no. 9) will be explored.