ABSTRACT
This chapter examines modes of cooperation in working parties and shared files, promotion procedures and mobility, while reputation, how it is valued and acquired, is a theme that runs across all relevant sections. The European Commission is a fascinating field site for anthropological research. The European commission has long been associated in European citizens' minds with an obscure and unaccountable centre of decision making. The European Commission is a small world, and officials are in touch with one another, exchanging views and information on the informal level. The argument is that compromise as a category of praxis is a major theme, which may function alongside other categories shaped by nationality, educational background, and professional training. The chapter concludes that compromise is an important category of praxis, reproducing understandings as to who should be involved in the making of a legal measure and how opposing views should be treated.
