I find it quite amazing that the EU who have so much Human Rights legislation fly in the Face of ICAO Annex 1
1.2.2.2 Recommendation.— A pilot licence issued by a Contracting State should be rendered valid by other Contracting States for use in private flights.
The EU may not be a Contracting State but all individual States are. The whole PPL side of EASA is unnecessary, in view of the ICAO recommendation, and simply displays the ignorance and incompetence of those involved in developing unnecessary licences. This was highlighted by the Deputy Director of the EU in 2008. In fact EASA have not even developed the licences, there is not a single theoretical question for any of the proposed private licences, so there is not even a glimmer of standardisation. It is a shambolic mess that should be binned by the European Parliament.