VERY interesting thread! Having only been a Flight Dispatcher for a little under a year, I can say that a common set of standards, such as an EASA licence, might not be a bad idea at all to harmonise training standards. After all, we have JAA Flight Crew licences and are going towards some sort of European ATC licences (with some hiccups and national posturing along the way, as can be expected). In France and Spain, even Cabin Crew need a CAA licence, so how come Dispatch is a big free-for-all, with widely varying levels of training?
That said, whether Europe needs a US-style system of Flight Following is debatable; the current system seems reasonably well suited to the European airspace environment and the (mainly) relatively short-haul flights that go through it. Those that advocate a completely new system seem to grossly underestimate the task at hand with so many countries involved.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" - or as the French say: "le mieux est l'ennemi du bien" (the "best" is the ennemy of the "good").
Cheers
