What a joke! The BIGGEST issue is the little state monopolies (ANSP's) and the unions that do EVERYTHING to stop a proper single sky being introduced...
Solution:
-One network manager who has proper control over the sky: EUROCONTROL
-The same overflight rates all over Europe
-No more local inefficient ANSP's (DFS in Karlsuhe should be the first one that should be fired!)
-One system all over Europe
-Good salaries but only strikes over really important things
-High quality training all over Europe to ONE standard
-Training more controllers
In short: a real single sky like in the US......
This will probably get moved - but I really feel I should answer your 'parochial' viewpoint.
Europe is a small area although the ECAC states region is larger. However, under a real Single European Sky it would be difficult to justify 67 Air Traffic Control Centers - many of them totally different in operations and even display symbology. Whereas the US NAS has 20, 22 if you include Alaska and Hawaii.
However, that is really small thinking. Extended range flights now cover half the globe; Boston - Narita, Dubai - Auckland; Newark - Singapore, etc etc. This means that the aircraft trajectory exists in multiple ANSPs. In future advanced ATM with global free routing there will need to be global governance of the trajectory information already held in a globally agreed format (Flight Information Exchange Method). So think bigger within 25 years there could be a Single World Sky and a lot less ATCCs with global free routing. It is all possible now.
However, UK cannot even move to one ATCC the one at Prestwick has to stay for Scotland and not be conjoined (as originally planned) with the one a Swanwick on the South coast of England. You will find dragging Karlsruhe out of DFS quite difficult too. It is not the technical issues it is the political. Which is why the FAA found reducing to 6 centers (which was on the cards) too politically difficult
