The Jean Monnet Chair in European Solidarity and Social Cohesion (ESSCO) will enhance academic excellence and promotion of European Union studies by providing new and relevant courses and activities that resonate for students and societies today as they face a grave and uncertain future. In this way it expands the scope and deepens the academic and research programmes at the University of Pannonia. The new courses combine reflection with teaching, and research with dissemination that is connected to the rapidly changing and increasingly complex social, economic, cultural and political realities both within and beyond the EU. The specific aims of the Jean Monnet Chair is to address particularly and focus on the Europe 2020 priority for support and promotion of social cohesion and solidarity in Europe and the EU. This should be of the absolute first importance since North-South, East-West fracture lines within the EU could derail the project of European construction if citizens are not taken on board especially during a time of multiple crises. The crisis could be a “moment of truth” for Europe and as stated in the Europe 2020 document we need to help citizens to “anticipate and respond” to change. Through the new courses that are proposed here, and through the new activities attached to the Chair, analysis of citizen responses to not just the financial and migration crises, but to deeper political, social even civilizational crises will be explored, studied and discussed.