Beteiligung, Partizipation, Mitbestimmung – das Statut der Europäischen Aktiengesellschaft und der babylonische Turm europäischer Arbeitsbeziehungen [Coinvolgimento, partecipazione, codeterminazione. Lo Statuto della Società per Azioni Europea e la torre di Babele delle relazioni industriali in Europa]

In Summer 1997 the group of experts on the ”European Company Statute” ,chaired by Etienne Davignon, presented proposals on the presence and the rights of worker representatives in the company bodies of the future European Company. While the Davignon-group put forward a prudent solution (negotiation plus reference rules), the proposed definitions of ”involvement” and ”participation” are untenable since the qualitative distinctions (intensity) among different levels of participation are lost. The argumentation the group of experts considers necessary to help its solution succeed is not convincing, and may even turn out to be counterproductive. The article argues in favour of a clear terminology and an open discourse on participation, not least among the trade unions, as the only way of coping with the ”phantom of the German model”.