A Case Study on Engineers in Europe
Abstract: Analyses of European governance usually put the member states in the foreground, placing the citizens in the background. This article brings explanations of EU legitimacy down to the level of individuals. A method is suggested that combines explanations based on individual interests and a sociological approach to identity. The paper investigates how work organisations become levers for a European outlook that may release legitimising from its national context. The individual level analysis is carried out for one particular occupational group (engineers) and the research questions are elucidated by case studies.
Introduction: In some EU countries, patent protection is five times as costly as it is in the US and Japan. These costs could be reduced for EU institutions that give inventors the option of obtaining a patent that is legally valid throughout the EU, by using a single application to the European Patent Office. To help technology producing firms and other owners of patents avoid the risk of legal action before national courts in each member country, a centralised community court could be set up to rule over disputes arising from Community Patents. 1 Further, would these efficiency improvements increase the legitimacy of the EU? In trying to answer this, I note that there is no agreed upon view of democratic legitimacy in the EU. Keep reading..
