Many EU countries run the
UK CAA exams. I know for a fact the Greeks do; you sit them in Athens (and reportedly for far less than the LGW cost).
If I was doing the JAA IR I'd go down to Greece. I wouldn't do it up here, with the crap weather and anal retention everywhere. Greece is 1 fuel stop (Croatia) for a TB20. Most pleasant
Pick up a Greek PPL just to make sure, in case the UK CAA are having a bad day and refuse to add the Greek IR to a UK PPL. (However I have heard of a successful legal challenge to such refusals, anyway).
Also some EU countries are known to accept UK CPL or IR exam passes. In some cases they may exercise useful discretion on expired ones, too.
At least 90% of the JAA IR theory is bollox. It is irrelevant to real flight. And this is
after they have removed all the jet type rating stuff.