Interesting ... if anyone with an ATPL is assumed to be Level 4 or better, why have the requirement in the first place? The reason English proficiency is becoming an issue is that quite a few pilots who already have an ATPL cannot speak English well enough to communicate safely with ATC (and vice versa, since English proficiency is a serious problem for many controllers as well). So just issuing a default statement that someone is at Level 4 because he has the license already defeats the whole purpose of the requirement.
In any case, it looks like this ICAO requirement is already pretty much toothless. It has taken them years even to get to this deadline, and they seem to be making so many exceptions that the deadline isn't really meaningful. Apparently accommodation of pilots and controllers who cannot communicate in English is more important than preventing fatalities and accidents. Of course, the aviation industry isn't unique in having such skewed priorities, but somehow I had hoped that it would be a cut above other industries in placing more emphasis on safety.