Perceptions of European Solidarity in Lithuania—plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose?

Abstract

The Lithuanian national narratives on solidarity inside the EU remained surprisingly stable since its accession in 2004, despite several severe crises which affected the country’s economy and political debates. The main features which characterise these narratives are the focus on economic convergence inside the EU and active advocacy for supporting reforms in Eastern neighbours and their closer relations with the EU. Also, being geographically close to the third countries such as Russia paints most of EU related debates in geopolitical undertones. COVID-19 crisis has not significantly altered these trends. Rather, the unilateral measures of EU27 member states in closing their borders showed the importance of the proper functioning of the EU common market for countries such as Lithuania.