Is it Possible to Save the Principle of Subsidiarity?

This article responds to critical notes in Vaclav Klaus's book European Integration Without Illusions (2011) and attempts to outline the historical and content development of the concept of subsidiarity in the context of Catholic social doctrine. It describes its particular aspects and connections, ways of use in the tradition of the social encyclicals and in the area of Catholic social thought. The article comes to the conclusion that the concept of subsidiarity is a formal principle which is filled with a varied content. Its use in documents of the European Union and in discussions about European integration is therefore problematic. It also suggests the revitalization of this concept in the spirit of human freedom and human dignity and in the spirit of interpretations by John Paul IT and Benedict XVI.