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I will argue in this paper, first that solidarity has been a late development in the European integration process and was not at all foreseen in the original treaties or in the vision of its founding fathers. Second, that although is true that solidarity was already appearing in the agenda of the European Community when Spain and Portugal became members in the mid-eighties, it was the accession of those countries that tilted the balance and put it in the forefront of European concerns. Finally, I will argue that developing solidarity as one of the key dimensions of EU’s identity was more than adding a new policy or a new line in the budget of the Union. It was a big change in the soul of the European integration process.