Personal Opinion..................................
Europe will soon control our skies and everything that flies in them and this will bring good and bad things with it:
Certification and maintenance costs for complex aircraft will increase whereas light, private aviation will benefit from a lighter hand of regulation. Innovation will return to the European (& UK) light aircraft industry and engines will be designed to carry light aircraft at 100 knots + with a miserley fuel consumption. Europe will recognise a European RPPL (NPPL) for use throughout Europe in non complex aircraft and a rational rating system based on safety aspects of European weather will enable limited Instrument Ratings at a proportionately affordable cost. There will be no reason for the recreational Pilot to go down the needlessly beurocratic and expensive JAR route when the RPPL is introduced - at a stroke medicals and licensing requirements will reflect the actual need of the recreational pilot and not the professional pilot.
The steps to achieve this are already being taken and the recent announcement of the ending of the duty exemption on AVGAS is probably not a bad thing in the long term as it will force innovation in this area. Lets be honest the big Yank engines are 1950's technology and we need to move on, innovation will be borne of necessity.
Just my opinion
Tony