DFC
Pardon my ignorance on this, but I think you are missing one of the key elements of the change.
We already keep the logbooks, arrange for maintenance to be done as and when and have an LAE signing off our 50 hour checks. Our annuals are donne by a reputable company a little away from our home base, where there is no maintenance facility.
As far as I am aware, the CAMO is the only organisation able to raise the paperwork to recommend the issue of the CofA and extend an ARC - you cannot do this yourself, unless you register, at some cost, with EASA.
You have 2 choices from next year - unless you operate a Permit or Annexe II aircraft. You can take the 'Controlled' route where you sign up with a CAMO and agree with them the limits of your maintenance freedom, or the 'Uncontrolled' route, where you pick and choose.
The CAA have already set the pricing regime to discourage the 'Uncontrolled Option' by making it considerably more expensive.
The problem we are already seeing is that perfectly acceptable maintenance organisations are shutting up shop. This reduces choice and puts us into the hands of cartels. In my area, 2 of the most popular organisations are closing their doors, and we will have to try to register with a very unpopular and overly-expensive EASA approved organisation instead - if, in fact they want to take us on, which is questionable.
As most of my friends left that facility because of their pricing and poor customer service, the thought of being forced back into their hands by EASA is one we find hard to bear.
As I said earlier, although not licenced engineers, we have, under supervision, doen much of our own work, but the plan, as stands will make life a lot more tricky after our next annual.