The
PPL/IR group welcomes pilots who are (or plan to be) IMC Rated, as well as full IR.
IFR privileges are a common objective. It isn't just about the full IR.
You can do "IFR" as
JAA IR
FAA IR (to mention the most common one)
IMCR
It's certain that one day there will be an EASA license/rating.
In terms of a significant departure from JAA, t
his is still years away.
This privilege may be sub-ICAO i.e. good for Europe only, and the PPL-only bit of that will be the "Europe-wide NPPL" which Freda is referring to.
There will be an ICAO-compliant version of course because you need that for the ATPL route; whether this will be the only one (i.e. whether the sub-ICAO version will come about at all) nobody can tell as the whole subject is massively political.
Personally I think EASA should do a "PPL/IR" which is modelled on the FAA one exactly, because we know that works and has an excellent safety record around the world. To begin to remove foreign registered planes from Europe (the #1 objective really) they would also need to take on board FAA certification and medical procedures, which we also know work and have an excellent safety record around the world. Lots and lots of people agree with this (it's pretty self evident) but it's politically hard to swallow because of long-entrenched interests.
PPL/IR is without doubt the most effective body working on this area.
I'd join up!