I asked Easa through a rule making task to remove the need for every NAA (UK CAA) the need to replace every current pilot license with a new EASA license.
Alone this is going to cost the UK CAA 10 million pounds and across europe considerably more just to issue a new license to every european pilot.
I think this is wrong every over form of license people across europe hold (driving license etc ) has,nt needed to be replace ??? why a pilot license.
I can understand licenses being replaced as they come up for renewal or changes to circumstance.
See response i got.:-
Thank you for highlighting this issue to EASA with your proposal
concerning "Removal of the need for the NAAs to issue new FCL licences".
After consultation and review by the competent Agency services, we have
come to the following conclusion:
As for the time being the implemented regulations vary throughout
Europe, the existing licences have to be converted to European Part-FCL
licences as required in the Cover Regulation to Part-FCL, to make sure
that they all apply the same standards.
Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 (Basic Regulation, BR) Article 4, 2.
requires that personnel involved in the operations of aircraft referred
to in paragraph 1(b), (c) or (d) shall comply with this Regulation.
Article 7, 2. states that except when under training, a person may only
act as a pilot if he or she holds a licence and a medical certificate
appropriate to the operation to be performed and a person shall only be
issued a licence when he or she complies with the rules established to
ensure compliance with the essential requirements (etc.). Article 7, 6.,
b) then defines that the conditions for issuing, maintaining, amending,
limiting, suspending or revoking licences, ratings for licences, medical
certificates etc. shall be adopted, which will be done with Part-FCL.
This means that to comply with this Regulation only pilot licences that
are issued in accordance with the BR and Part-FCL can be considered to
fulfil the requirements and this makes it indispensable to re-issue all
pilot licences.
The proposed rulemaking task therefore cannot be followed.
We hope to have given you satisfactory response to your query.
Best regards,
Kirsti Reinartz
on behalf of EASA Rulemaking